Frank Lampard has said it is his "duty" to be "careful" with N'Golo Kante because the Frenchman is not fully fit.
The France international returned from a month out with an ankle issue in the Blues' 2-1 loss to Liverpool and played a starring role:
Squawka FootballN'Golo Kanté's game by numbers vs. Liverpool: 83% pass acc. 57 touches 15 duels contested 11 recoveries 3 tackles 2 aerial duels won 2 interceptions 2 shots 1 goal He just doesn't stop. ud83eudd16 https://t.co/hg3ifjTzsH
However, he was absent again for Chelsea's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, and Lampard explained he has to manage the Frenchman carefully, per Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:
"My feeling is that he has played a lot and that's because he has been so successful and so important to the teams he has been in.