Romeo Lavia has taken a step forward in his comeback bid though is still expected to remain sidelined until late November at the earliest.
Midfielder Lavia has been out with an ankle injury which he suffered in training last month.
Lavia was edging closer to being ready to make his Chelsea debut following his £58m summer move from Southampton at the time but has seen that delayed due to the injury blow in which he suffered some ligament damage.
Lavia was able to remove the protective boot he has been wearing to support his right ankle last week and begin doing some rehab work in the pool in positive developments as he attempts to regain full fitness.
Though it is still due to be some time yet before he is ready to be back out on the pitch and resume playing. While a November return is viewed as the optimistic timeline, Chelsea are treading cautiously which could push back Lavia’s involvement until early December.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino hinted that Belgian international Lavia still faced an extended period out ahead of Chelsea’s final game before the international break at Burnley.
He said: ‘I cannot tell you [when he will be back] but he is still not running. After the international break he will not be back.’
Chelsea return to action against Arsenal on Saturday and are hopeful striker Nicolas Jackson will be available after withdrawing from international duty with Senegal to undergo wrist surgery.
France defender Axel Disasi and England under-21 winger Cole Palmer also dropped out of their international squads during the break due to thigh and dead leg issues respectively.
Credit: dailymail.co.uk
