Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted that the club still cannot say when Romeo Lavia will return, as the midfielder continues to recover from a quad injury. His update comes ahead of the team’s next league match against Bournemouth, as previewed by SoftFootball.
The uncertainty around Lavia adds to the concerns already raised after Chelsea’s recent setback at Elland Road, as reported by SoftFootball.
Lavia picked up the injury early in November during the Champions League meeting with Qarabag. He lasted only a few minutes before signalling to the bench, and from that moment the club has struggled to give any firm timeline.
Maresca repeated that the issue is a muscle problem in the quad and that the medical staff are still trying to understand how quickly he can progress. He kept his answer short when asked about the duration, simply saying the staff do not know yet in a post shared by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account.
Check the post below:
Since joining Chelsea from Southampton in August 2023, Lavia has found it difficult to build any real rhythm. A string of muscle injuries has limited him to a small number of league starts, and every time he seems close to putting together a run of games, another setback appears.
Maresca spoke with some frustration after the Qarabag match, saying that he felt sorry for the 21-year-old because he has barely been able to stay fit for a long stretch.
There were early suggestions that Lavia might aim for a return later in December, but nothing from the coaching staff has confirmed that idea. The club is taking a steady approach, allowing him to work through the rehabilitation without pressure.
Reports earlier this week noted that he is still going through recovery sessions and that a return in the immediate future is unlikely. The positive news for him is that this injury is not linked to the hamstring problems that troubled him last season.
Chelsea will hope that the extra patience helps Lavia when he eventually comes back. His style of play fits the structure Maresca is trying to build, and the team has missed his ability to control transitions. For now, the club must continue without him, while keeping an eye on his progress over the coming weeks.
