Chelsea boss Tuchel sings Kante’s praises ahead of Barnsley trip

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday said he was “humbled” to coach midfielder N’Golo Kante and that the Frenchman would be a part of his plans this season.

Kante, 29, has made just two substitute appearances since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager last month, but he will start in Thursday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Championship (second-tier) side Barnsley.

“I think N’Golo fits into any manager’s plans on the planet,” Tuchel told reporters. “I was desperate to have him in my teams (in the past).

“To see the guy live, to see how he works, how humble he is, the quality he gives to the team. I am so humbled to be his coach. He will start tomorrow.

“I’m not concerned about any more injuries… we can manage his minutes and workload. I am not concerned about his quality. What I see on the pitch, it’s everything I expected and I expected a lot because I am a huge fan of him.”

Thursday’s game will provide Tuchel with his first taste of the FA Cup but the German is already aware of the competition’s significance.

“It would be huge to win. It’s one of the most prestigious cups in the world and played at Wembley,” Tuchel said. “Even as a little boy in Germany, with no internet or sports channels, you knew the word Wembley. It’s a big, big game to play in.”

Tuchel said Hakim Ziyech, who has not featured in Chelsea’s last three matches, would start against Barnsley but Thiago Silva is set to miss out as he continues to nurse a muscle injury.