Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says that Romeo Lavia will not be back available after the international break.
The Belgian international sustained an ankle injury in training last month and, asked about when the player could return to fitness, Pochettino replied:
“I can’t tell you but I’m not sure he will be back after the international break. He’s not evening running.”
Unsurprisingly, supporters on X are rather concerned about Lavia’s situation, and some are very pessimistic about the chances of the player being back in action anytime soon:
Doesn’t look good ngl
— kvng mopzy (@madeyinkz) October 6, 2023
He’ll be ready next summer
— Top_man👑 (@TopMan_FX) October 6, 2023
So we bought a useless broken player
— Nick (@LegendNickC) October 7, 2023
Forgot we even signed him
— Odin Urkedal Gladtvet (@urkedal_odin) October 7, 2023
should have left this one for LiVARpool
— Leslie Kay 2.0🐇🔥 (@Lesskay_1) October 6, 2023
I’m not expecting Lavia back till November tbh
— Rasen – #RebirthHYPE!!! (@RasenRendanX) October 6, 2023
I really wanna see Lavia 😔
— Ryan (@CFCRyan__) October 6, 2023
Lavia has had a spate of bad luck
After Chelsea secured the 19-year-old’s signature ahead of Liverpool back in August, he needed to be put on a training programme to get him back to full fitness.
By mid-September, Lavia was closing in on his Blues’ debut when he suffered his injury setback. It is believed that he would be out for six weeks after suffering ligament damage, which would put his return date in the final week of October.
The fact that he is not running yet may suggest that he could be sidelined even longer but we shall have to wait and see.
Chelsea do have cover in midfield
Although Lavia’a absence is a blow, Pochettino does have a number of other options he can call upon. Conor Gallagher has stepped up to the plate in recent weeks, playing alongside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Lesley Ugochukwu has also had a promising start to his Chelsea career, while Carney Chukwuemeka has recently returned to fitness after recovering from a knee injury.
