Kante, Jota to miss 2022 World Cup due to injuries

Chelsea's N'golo Kante has had surgery on his hamstring and will be out for four months which ultimately rules him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching and once again, the fitness of players comes to the fore as games come thick and fast across top leagues in the World.

News breaking out of Stamford Bridge is that Chelsea’s midfield maestro, N’golo Kante will be out for four months, this means the 2018 World Cup winner is automatically out of the winter tournament but, the Frenchman is not the only one to miss out.

Liverpool gave up on Tuesday and announced that Diogo Jota will be out till Christmas, this rules the Portuguese forward out of the World Cup and heaps more misery on Jurgen Klopp who has already lost Luis Dias to a long-term knee problem.

Do these players play too many games? Managers and vocal players have spoken out about their struggles, playing up to nine games in a month and having to juggle teams to compete will never be easy but who has ears to listen?

The World Cup is a dream of many players, the goal is to feature for their respective countries but how easy is it for them? From having to battle for qualification, to staying fit to command call-ups and also being favored by international team coaches.

This again wakes the question of how much commitment are the players willing to put into their club games ahead of the World Cup. The famous story of Michael Owen and Alan Shearer comes to mind ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Shearer, the then manager of Newcastle United needed Owen to play a game as the club fought relegation battles but the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker would rather sit out to avoid aggravating his niggling injuries.

The same ghost is likely to come to play as players prepare for the tournament in Qatar… Where does this leave club managers as they search for results, momentum, and consistency?