Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted to beingunaware of French midfielder N'Golo Kante before both arrived at the club in the summer.
The Blues signed Kante from champions Leicester in a deal worth a reported £32m, but clearly theformerJuventus and Italy coach hadn't been focussing on the Premier League before his arrival.
As quoted byGoal, Conte revealed that Kante has quickly made an impression on him, describing the 25-year old as a 'complete midfielder' and praising his recent form.
Did I know him before I came here? The answer is no. I do now,� said Conte.I think he's a complete midfielder, not only a defensive midfielder."
The enigmatic Italian added that the change in system to a 3-4-3 could also have helped the performances of Kante.
I like when N'Golo goes to press the play in the system we are playing now, I like it a lot. N'Golo is very good," he said.
I remember before the game against Leicester, many people said that he is a different player compared to last year, when he played for them.
But I said N'Golo is playing very well at the moment and we are very pleased to have him here in the side playing for us.�
Kante has been an ever-present in the Chelsea lineup thusfar, featuring in all nine Premier League games to date.
He scored his first goal in a blue shirt in his team'sthrashing of Manchester United, and will be looking to replicate that performance when he and his teammatesvisit Southampton on Sunday.