Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante has been forced to withdraw from the France squad for September's World Cup qualifiers through injury.

The former Leicester City man has struggled to maintain full fitness in the past couple of years and took a knock to the ankle during the weekend's 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool.

Kante had to be replaced at half time in the encounter and Thomas Tuchel was unable to offer a positive update on his condition, but he still joined up with the French squad nonetheless.

However, Get French Football News has confirmed that Kante - along with Corentin Tolisso - will now miss September's matches, with Matteo Guendouzi and Adrien Rabiot earning call-ups in their places.

The report adds that neither Guendouzi nor Rabiot is expected to be available for Wednesday's clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving Didier Deschamps with Paul Pogba, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jordan Veretout - the latter two still waiting for their first cap - as his recognised central midfield options.

Kante struggled with a hamstring issue last term but still managed 24 starts in the 2020-21 Premier League season, while he played every minute for his country at Euro 2020.