Chelsea have been handed a boost by N'Golo Kante's decision to step up his participation in training.

Due to concerns over his safety during the coronavirus pandemic, Kante has spent time away from his teammates at the club's Cobham facilities.

Frank Lampard and the rest of the first-team squad have supported their teammate's decision to put himself and his family before opting to up his fitness levels ahead of the return to the Premier League.

However, having initially kept himself away from other players and members of staff, the World Cup winner is now taking part in contact training.

The development comes 12 days before Chelsea are scheduled to return to top-flight action with an away fixture against Aston Villa.

That could give Kante enough time to get up to speed in order to feature in Lampard's first squad.