The France coach believes that the Chelsea midfielder has had an excellent tournament to date and is "essential" to his plans
N'Golo Kante can play a key role against Belgium's array of attacking talent after he kept Lionel Messi quiet in France's World Cup victory over Argentina, according to Didier Deschamps.
France face Belgium in the first semi-final of the tournament in St Petersburg on Tuesday, with their opponents riding high after a shock 2-1 quarter-final triumph against Brazil, in which front three Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne excelled.
Kante trained separately from his team-mates on Monday, jogging lightly alongside right-back Benjamin Pavard at Krestovsky Stadium, but coach Deschamps is confident the Chelsea man will be available to shackle the Red Devils' attacking stars from defensive midfield.