France international N’Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup finals after undergoing an operation on a hamstring injury, his Premier League club Chelsea said on Tuesday.
Last week, sources told ESPN that the 31-year-old was set to miss the tournament in Qatar.
The midfielder, who played a pivotal role in Les Bleus’ winning campaign in 2018, suffered a setback in the final stages of his recovery last week and has now been ruled out for four months after the surgery.
Kante’s early season has been marred by the hamstring problem that has now ruled him out of selection for the World Cup, which takes place from November 20 to December 18.
Kante has featured in only two Premier League games and played a total of 175 minutes this season.
“The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage,” Chelsea said in a statement.
France will face Australia, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D at the World Cup finals.