Chelsea supporters are yet to see their shiny new summer signing Romeo Lavia in the flesh.
The midfielder has been given time to settle by Mauricio Pochettino before being thrust into the spotlight, but a new injury concern may keep the Stamford Bridge faithful waiting for their first glimpse of their £58m man.
Lavia rejected the opportunity to move to Liverpool this summer, instead favouring a switch to Chelsea. However, the Belgian appears to have been plagued with the injury curse that is yet to lift at Stamford Bridge, adding his name to a long list of absentees.
The injury picked up by Lavia was sustained during training and Chelsea are now worried that their 19-year-old starlet could be missing for a long time having yet to step foot on the pitch.
Here is the latest on Lavia’s injury concerns.
When will Lavia return from injury?
Lavia is still being monitored as Chelsea try to discover the extent of his injury. The teenager injured his ankle during training with some sources speculating that it could be a muscle tear.
While no timeline can be put on his recovery until the extent of the injury is known, reports suggests Chelsea are fearing the worst, potentially expecting Lavia to be missing for an ‘extended period’ of time.
Lavia had been working individually at Chelsea’s training ground to build up his fitness ahead of a long-awaited debut – one that likely would have arrived after the international break. Pochettino will undoubtedly be frustrated by the timing and potential seriousness of the issue, but will also have his fingers crossed that things aren’t as bad as first feared.
Chelsea face Bournemouth on 17 September when the international break concludes, before home games against Aston Villa and Brighton close out the month.
Given Chelsea are unlikely to rush Lavia back into action, supporters could be wating a long time to see their summer signing don a blue jersey.
Player
Expected return
Benoit Badiashile
Bournemouth – 17 September
Armando Broja
Bournemouth – 17 September
Trevoh Chalobah
Bournemouth – 17 September
Carney Chukwuemeka
October
Christopher Nkunku
January
Romeo Lavia
Unknown
Reece James
Unknown
Wesley Fofana
Unknown
Lavia is hardly the only absentee from Chelsea’s expensively assembled squad. Before the new campaign had even begun, Pochettino lost both Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku to serious knee injuries.
Nkunku’s setback came hot on the heels of his highly encouraging pre-season performances. Yet, before the £52m arrival could make his Premier League debut, he pulled up on the uneven surface of Chicago’s Soldier Field in a friendly against Borussia Dortmund.
Newly appointed club captain Reece James didn’t even make it through the first match of the season before pulling up with yet another hamstring issue. Carney Chukwuemeka fired Chelsea level against West Ham United on the second weekend of the campaign before twisting awkwardly. The youngster became the third player in four months to require surgery on his knee.
Pochettino could welcome back the likes of Benoit Badiashile, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah after the international break but Lavia will be spending some more time in Cobham’s increasingly crowded treatment room.
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