N'Golo Kante plays 60 minutes for Chelsea in a behind closed doors friendly as he steps up recovery

N'Golo Kante continued his recovery from a long-term hamstring injury with an hour of action in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Chelsea on Friday.

The French midfielder has been absent since August, having suffered a hamstring injury that has plagued him, but managed a full 60 minutes of match action.

And he was not short of supporters on the touchline, with team-mates Mason Mount and Thiago Silva in attendance on Friday.

Mount wore a shirt with Kante's name and No 7 emblazoned in support of his injured colleague.

He first sustained the problem in the Blues' 2-2 draw at home to Tottenham, only to reaggravate it when he resumed training five weeks later.

Kante has been a part of the senior squad in training since early March as he makes the initial steps in recuperation from the hamstring issue, but his feat on Friday will surely be music to Chelsea fans' ears.

He was part of the Chelsea development squad that beat Charlton Athletic 3-0, with goals coming from Dion Rankine, Silko Thomas and Malik Mothersille.

The 31-year-old's absence at the heart of the Blues' midfield has been obvious, with Graham Potter's side missing the control and security that Kante's defensive work often brings them.

The arrival of Enzo Fernandez on a British-record £107million fee in January has gone somehow to strengthen Chelsea in the middle of the park

But Kante's importance to the club is such that Potter will be keen to reintroduce him as soon as possible.

However the ex-Brighton boss stressed that it would not be a straight-forward road to recovery for Kante earlier in March.

'It's a complex one with [Kante] because he has had a long time out,' Potter said at his pre-match press conference before the Blues' Champions League aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund.

'It'll be a case of how we get him back up to speed to play Premier League or Champions League football. He won't be able to go back in for 90 minutes any time soon but the fact he is with us is exciting.'

Since he first sustained the injury in an eventful clash with Spurs, Thomas Tuchel has lost his job and the Blues spent more than £300m in the January transfer window, and he will return to a side currently in 10th.

Kante's current deal at Stamford Bridge is up at the end of the season, but there has been work behind the scenes to nail him down until 2026, and although talks have been positive there has been no announcement yet.

The Blues are next in action against Unai emery's resurgent Aston Villa on April 1, following the international break.

Kante was unable to join up with Didier Deschamps and his French squad as a result of his injury, which also saw him ruled out of the squad for the Qatar World Cup.

He is widely regarded as among the leading midfielders in the world when fit, with his prodigious work-rate and defensive work hailed above all else.