Graham has Pott time on his side to get Kante fit and firing

Graham Potter is relishing working with N’Golo Kante during the international break as the Chelsea star fights to regain full fitness.

Having not featured since damaging a hamstring against Tottenham last August, Kante was named in the squad for Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton. 

The Frenchman, 31, was not summoned from the bench and Potter has confirmed his return will continue to be carefully managed. 

He said: “N’Golo is due to carry on training this week and potentially with a game to get some minutes. 

“That’s the plan there. The game will probably be internal. We need to control that as much as we can. But that will be good.”

Potter will not have many of his senior stars at Cobham due to international duty taking the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz away. 

But after seeing a number of stars hit by injuries during his Chelsea reign, the former Brighton boss is keen to see everyone return in peak condition. 

He added: “I think we’ve got about four players here.

“We’ve got to hope the players come back injury free. And we will use the break to refresh and then prepare for a really hectic April.”

Potter is also looking forward to some rest and relaxation after seeing his side twice blow the lead against the Toffees. 

On-loan star Joao Felix broke the deadlock after 52 minutes at Stamford Bridge but the hosts were pegged back by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 69th-minute strike. 

Kai Havertz’s 76th-minute penalty restored the advantage, only for Ellis Simms to climb off the bench and net a last-gasp equaliser for the Toffees. 

Potter, 47, said: “It’s important for me as the leader to gain some freshness and recharge the batteries. That’s sensible.

“It’s been an intense few weeks. We’ve had a couple of decent weeks. 

“Clearly, we wanted to get the fourth win in a row and go into this international break with a victory.

“We have to keep thinking about how we can move forward and what we have to do better.”

Potter’s 10th-placed side return to Premier League action against Aston Villa, who are below them on goal difference, on April 1.