Romeo Lavia provided an update on his injuries on social media prior to Chelsea’s matchup with Tottenham. The 19-year-old midfielder hasn’t even made his debut for the Blues yet, having joined from Southampton late in the summer transfer window. He has been dealing with an ankle injury ever since getting to Stamford Bridge.
Lavia’s homecoming date was pushed back to late November due to a significant setback on his road to recovery, according to claims that were widely circulated last month. The Belgium international is rumoured to have started his rehabilitation programme at the Cobham training site at the beginning of October, after his ability to remove his protective boot.
Later, The Mail Online reported that while west Londoners are wary about hurrying him back ahead of schedule, a return this month is seen as “optimistic.” Indeed, following Chelsea’s victory over Burnley just before the international break, Mauricio Pochettino made a suggestion that the teenager will be out for a while.
“It is difficult for me to predict his return date, but he is still not running,” stated the former manager of the Spurs. “After the international break he will not be back.”
Lavia has been put through his paces by RK Performance, his personal trainer, as he works towards making his eagerly anticipated debut for his new club. The Chelsea star shared a photo of himself working out on Instagram while wearing his Blues training kit.
For the reason, Lavia will miss several crucial games for Chelsea in November if he doesn’t make his first-team comeback until December. The Blues take on Tottenham on Monday night, November 6, and play his old team, Manchester City, just one week later.
Then, on November 25, Chelsea will visit St. James’ Park to play Newcastle United before travelling to the south coast to play Brighton. Pochettino will be anxious to have Lavia back for the challenging stretch of games coming up on December 6, just a few days after the west Londoners take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Blues manager will be hopeful that the teenager’s cutting passes will help the forward players find the back of the net whenever he returns to action. Pochettino stated the following before Chelsea’s matchup with Tottenham: “You can work every day and spend a lot of time.” You have the ability to work, but self-assurance and emotions are key to improvement.
“Players may require some time to regain the trust of one another. Not because you put in more practise. You must be able to control your emotions, have the will to act, and the appropriate attitude. You may practise and practise and it won’t change, but if your mindset is in the correct place beforehand, you can demonstrate.
“We are currently struggling to win back our attacking players’ trust in this. Getting a healthy balance is the most crucial thing. You can tell we’re becoming better and moving forward; this is a typical part of the project and the process when young players join a team like Chelsea and demand is strong right away.
“The competitors and the demand don’t wait for you. You must include all the information, be a young man from a different league, and put pressure on yourself. It is about the process because of this.We know what we are doing, and we will perform and turn our performances into positive outcomes, so I am not worried about that.”
“I’ve looked at that picture in the locker room a lot, but I believe it’s current because the players are seeing it. Occasionally, the image stays here [head] when you have that. They might take three days off after that and forget about it. I go inside, so sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.”