Romeo Lavia hints at Chelsea silver lining after ‘impossible’ injury update

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has admitted his disappointment as his start to life at Stamford Bridge continues to be hampered by injury. The talented Belgian youngster made the move to West London in the summer after turning down Liverpool.

The 20-year-old faced intense interest from the Merseysiders as they looked to prise him away from relegated Southampton. Neither side could agree on a fee and as the Reds turned their attention to Moises Caicedo, Chelsea swooped in to sign the Ecuadorian and Lavia in a double midfield move.

However, after signing with such promise, Lavia’s early days with the Premier League giants have been tarnished by ongoing injury problems. An ankle injury initially kept him out of the squad at the beginning of the season before making his bow after four months out against Crystal Palace.

Lavia made his debut as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 win over the Eagles, in a 32-minute cameo. – but that proved to be his only involvement after he was dealt with another injury setback.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s encounter with Roy Hodgson’s side on Monday night, Mauricio Pochettino said of Lavia’s availability: “No. He is not training with the team. He is still recovering. But no, no, impossible. Still not on the pitch.”

His setback raises selection concerns ahead of a hectic period for Chelsea which includes the Carabao Cup final on February 25 against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. In a post to social media on Saturday, Lavia thanked supporters for their messages and warned them that his comeback “will be worth it”.

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He wrote: “Received a lot of support messages and I wanted to let you know that it means a lot to me. I’m gutted not to be able to help the team, but I’m fully focused on coming back. The wait will be worth it.”

Lavia put pen-to-paper on a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge in August.