Chelsea injury news: Romeo Lavia update delivered by Liam Rosenior after another long-term absence

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has delivered a mixed update on the fitness of Romeo Lavia.

The 22-year-old came through a period between late September and the start of November without suffering a setback with injuries, as has been the case during his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, the Belgian has been absent since suffering a muscle injury during the opening stages of the Champions League fixture against Qarabag FK on November 5.

Despite the initial prediction being a four-to-six-week absence, there has been no sign of Lavia in a first-team squad for 10 weeks.

As a result, question marks have emerged over his long-term future and under Rosenior who has recently replaced Enzo Maresca.

Rosenior provides Lavia injury update

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Rosenior revealed that Lavia had been able to return to the training pitch.

Nevertheless, he added that there remained "no timeframe" over when the player could come back into contention.

Rosenior told reporters: "Romeo is on the pitch, he is not with the group, but he is out on the pitch.

"He is someone I would love to work with in the long-term because he's an outstanding player.

"It's important we don't push him too hard because when he is back, we want him to be back for good. No timeframe."

Does Lavia have a future at Chelsea?

Having agreed a £58m deal for Lavia back in 2023, Chelsea would have been hoping for more than 19 starts and 11 substitute outings from the player.

With Rosenior a fan of Andrey Santos and Reece James having emerged as a viable central-midfield option, there is an argument that Lavia is now fifth choice in the engine room pecking order.

On the flip side, there is no prospect of any club wishing to pay anywhere near the fee that Chelsea shelled out two-and-a-half years ago.

Lavia also still has four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, subsequently meaning that Chelsea do not need to be in any rush to part ways with him.

As it stands, a loan switch elsewhere may be the best move for Lavia's development, and to see whether he can put together a run of games without suffering a muscle injury.