Chelsea have been dealt a huge injury blow following a worrying update on Romeo Lavia. The central midfielder started in the Blues' Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday night, but sadly for him, his night came to a premature end.
Starting the game alongside Andrey Santos in the engine room, Lavia's night lasted just three minutes before he slumped down to the floor holding his leg. The 21-year-old was visibly upset by the setback and threw a bottle in frustration as he made his way off the pitch for treatment.
Replaced by Moises Caicedo, Chelsea went on to draw the match 2-2 against the side from Azerbaijan. A goal from Estevao was cancelled out by two Qarabag efforts, before Alejandro Garnacho struck to draw the game level. However, it was the injury to Lavia that was a big talking point after the match.
Romeo Lavia Set For Another Spell On Sidelines
romeo lavia
Having signed from Southampton for £58million in the summer of 2023, it was a slow start to life in west London for Lavia. The midfielder was limited to just one appearance for the Blues in his debut season as he struggled with ankle and hamstring injuries. His second season wasn't much better as he managed just 22 appearances, totalling just over 1000 minutes in total.
Despite missing the first five Premier League fixtures due to a muscle problem, Lavia has made seven appearances this term. His injury against Qarabag was a worrying sight, with head coach Enzo Maresca addressing the situation in his post-match press conference.
Maresca said: "Yeah, we feel very ashamed, especially for him, because he's not able to be fit for a long, long period. We will see now as it's too early to understand what kind of injury. Hopefully it's not a big injury."
Asked if it's another hamstring injury, the head coach said: "No, I think it's a quad injury." Maresca was then asked if he wanted to see more from his fringe players when they get their opportunity in the team, to which he replied:
"It's not about, I think it's about all of them. Again, I think we start in the right way, we were in control of the game, we scored the goal and then when we conceded the first goal, after four or five minutes, I don't remember, we conceded the second one. So it becomes every time more difficult. Second half, I think we were much better compared to the first half. But again, every game I think it's a chance for all of them to show the reason why they are here."