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Zouma is Conte's 'present and future' but still not ready to play

The Chelsea defender has been sidelined for months after a tearing a ligament in his knee, and his manager has confirmed he needs more time to recover.

Antonio Conte has described Kurt Zouma as Chelsea's "present and future" but says the defender is still not ready to return from a serious knee injury.

The 21-year-old has been training with Chelsea's first-team squad since its preseason tour in Austria but is yet to complete his recovery from a torn cruciate ligament suffered against Manchester United last season.

Chelsea subsequently made two deadline-day signings, in David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, to improve its defense, but Conte has no doubt Zouma will re-establish himself as a key player when he returns.