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Kurt Zouma has praised Chelsea teammate N'Golo Kante, telling L'Equipe the midfielder is the darling of the Blues' dressing room. Kante has enjoyed a fairtytale rise since arriving in English football 18 months ago from Caen, passing from virtual unknown to Chelsea stalwart via a Premier League title triumph with Leicester City. The all-action displays that underpinnned that unlikely success have now been replicated in a Chelsea shirt since his move to Stamford Bridge last summer and he is now a contender to be named Player of the Year. No-one has made more tackles than Kante in the English top-flight in the last three seasons, despite him having played just 50 percent of that period. He is currently third in the Premier League's chart of 'tackles made,' and his recent performance in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Liverpool left even his own teammates agog. "He won 14 of 16 tackles, and the next-best in the game won three. The following day, during our video session, you could only see him. The guys said to him, 'You're doing it on purpose. Losing the ball so you can tackle and and win it back again.' We make fun of him, but it's because we love him, and that he impresses us ..." Zouma said. "For me, he's been incredible in every game this season. Off the pitch, he's very simple, very timid, the others rarely hear his voice. He's not someone who'll come and talk, you have to go to him to hear his little voice. He's next to me in the dressing room, I often bother him, make fun of him a little bit. He makes me laugh so much. "He's really funny. I like him a lot, and everyone loves him in the dressing room. When he scored against Manchester United, everyone was so happy for him and went to jump on him, pat him on the head. He's so timid, but so impressive on the pitch! He deserves everything he gets." While Kante thrives in west London, Zouma has seen his own promising career stall since damaging knee ligaments in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester United last February. The former Saint-Etienne centre-back made 23 top-flight appearances last season, but has featured just once in the league this season with his return to fitness yet to be matched by a place at the forefront of manager Antonio Conte's thinking. "He says to me: 'Be patient. You're working well, keep working, your time will come,'" Zouma said when asked whether his boss talks to him about his situation. "The time is added on [to his recovery], yes, unfortunately for me, but the team is playing so well that I don't have any other choice than to be patient. I'm not getting desperate though. My chance will come. Of course, I'm chomping at the bit, but I take part in the team's success in my own way." Zouma added: "It's certain that I would get back to my best more quickly by playing, but I'm learning a lot. I know that, tactically, I had some weaknesses, and I have worked a lot to put those right, with the coach, in matches and in training. I'm not worried about my level. I'm a rather confident guy, and I know that I'll get [my best form] back sooner or later." Under contract until 2019, the Lyon-born youngster, who has two senior caps for France to his name, does not want to consider his future until Chelsea, nine points clear at the top of the table, have completed their campaign. "We'll have to see how the second half of the season goes. The team is the priority: first of all, to be champions!" the 22-year-old said. "After that, yes, we'll have to talk, because I'm young, and it's at my age that you have to play the most. "For the moment, I'm waiting, I'm happy the team is winning, even if at a moment in time, I'm going to have to play if I want to achieve my objectives and get back into the France team. There will be discussions, but once again, I'm not worried about all that. For the moment, it's the team that counts."
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