3 Chelsea player who might follow N'Golo Kante's suit and refuse to train during the pandemic
N'Golo Kante surprised everybody by asking the club to permit him to stay at home and away from the small group training sessions that have started this week.
Why was it a surprise? Before that happened, there was no indication that it would be Kante and not some of the players who did voice their concerns. In case you missed it, here they are.
1. Antonio Rudiger
"If we continue to play and there is a danger, and we ignore that while people are dying somewhere in the world, I don't know if that would sit right on my conscience," the German defender told ZDF about 3 weeks ago.
"If everything fits and it comes from those in charge that it's okay, there's no danger, then we can start. But if there is a danger that it will start again and more people will get infected [we can't start again]."
2. Tammy Abraham
"My dad has asthma, so if I was to return to the Premier League and, God forbid, I do catch this disease and bring it home it's the worst thing possible. The last thing I need is to catch the virus myself," the striker told the Daily Mail last week.
3. Willian
"Honestly, from what I can see, a lot of players – the majority, I’d say – are uncomfortable with the idea of returning right now," the Brazilian said, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
"We’re really keen to return, we really miss playing and doing what we love. But it needs to be safe for us to do so. That’s how we’re looking at it. Our health has to come first. So right now, players don’t feel comfortable with the idea of returning until it’s totally safe to do so."
Now, how probable is it that one of them decides against training with their teammates?
I'd say Willian is the least likely to do so: he has stated that he wants to finish the season with Chelsea which means he has to train with the team.
I don't believe Tammy Abraham would be skipping the training sessions, either: he's just recovered from an injury and has to build up his form.
Rudiger's case is more interesting: the 27-year-old has been quite vocal on many issues, and he has strong views on them, too. So, if we have to bet on any Chelsea player who'd refuse to train now, I'd place it on Toni.
Do you have other suggestions? Share them in the comments!
Comments
To be honest, there's probably a bigger chance of catching the virus at a supermarket than at the training ground, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for them to refuse to train. The psychological factor is in play, though