Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has now confirmed that Romeo Lavia is a step closer to returning from injury.
He claimed in his pre-match press conference that he is back on the grass following an injury that has so far delayed his debut for his new club.
It has been a tough start to life for Lavia at Stamford Bridge, although this is no fault of his own.
He picked up quite a serious injury just weeks after choosing to join Chelsea over Liverpool, for an eventual fee of £58m.
It was expected that the Blues were only going to end up with one of Moises Caicedo or Lavia, so when they secured a deal for the Ecuadorian for a club-record fee many doubted that they would still approach Southampton for a deal.
However, they ended up with both at Stamford Bridge, creating a number of exciting midfields for the future in West London.
Lavia back on grass
The 19-year-old is surely chomping at the bit to return for his new club, and he could have now taken a step closer to that.
Pochettino claimed today that the midfielder is back on the grass in a great boost to his squad’s depth and morale.
He said: “Romeo Lavia is also close. They trained today on the pitch. Hopefully with the team next week.”
While there is still likely to be a few weeks before Lavia is back in action, Chelsea supporters should be excited by the timing of his return.
The former Southampton youngster will be coming back ahead of the extremely busy Christmas schedule, which also sees Chelsea preparing to make a bit of history.
They will be one of the two sides alongside Wolves who are taking part in the first fixture on Christmas Eve for the best part of 20 years.
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