Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is set to hand youngster Kyle Scott a role in the first team squad after the Blues saw N'Golo Kante injured while on international duty for France.
Kante is set to be out for three weeks with a hamstring injury and could be set to miss up to seven games, starting with Chelsea's trip to winless Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon. The injury leaves Conte with just two fit central midfielders after selling Nemanja Matic to Manchester United this summer.
With new signing Danny Drinkwater still injured only Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko are the only recognised senior figures available to the Italian and as a result may see the likes of Scott thrust into first team action earlier than expected.
The Blues currently sit six points off the two Manchester clubs at the summit of the league, following their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City before the international break. They have an important set of fixtures looming and they need to get their title defence back on track.
Life Without Kante
Since his arrival in the Premier League with Leicester in 2015 Kante has shone, winning back to back titles with the Foxes and Chelsea as well as becoming a regular in the French national team. After his stunning maiden campaign at the Bridge, the Frenchmen received the PFA Player of the Year award and has been a mainstay in the Chelsea team this year starting all seven of the league games so far.
The 26-year-old is a vital part of Conte's 3-5-2 system being deployed in the central midfield role alongside either Fabregas or Bakayoko but will surely be a massive miss for the Blues.
Fabregas and Bakayoko are more than suitable replacements for the crooked midfielder, but with a heavy schedule which features six games in three weeks, before the huge game against United on November 5, Conte will surely be asked to use the full depth of his thin squad, which may see Scott given his debut.
Who is Kyle Scott?
Scott is a name only a few Chelsea fans will know as the 19-year-old was named in the Blues Champions League squad for this season, he is yet to make an appearance for the first team. He has been with the club since the age of ten when he joined from the illustrious Southampton youth programme.
He was captain of the development squad last season, and switched his allegiance to the United States from England and has since featured for the Under 18 and Under 20 sides.
Unlike many of the Chelsea youth products, he hasn't spent any time away on loan from the club, although a proposed loan move to Reading fell through after uncertainty around the Drinkwater deal.
He has won the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League during his time in the Blues academy and is part of the successful crop of players that have been tipped for bright futures in football. His form for the Under 23s saw him named on the pre-season tour of Asia this summer and has been named on the bench numerous times this season.
