EPL: Chelsea get major boost ahead Tottenham clash, star player hints on return

Romeo Lavia is still yet to make his debut for Chelsea after joining from Southampton in the summer transfer window

Romeo Lavia has issued an injury update on social media ahead of Chelsea's clash against Tottenham. The 19-year-old midfielder, who joined the Blues from Southampton late into the summer transfer window, has been nursing an ankle issue since he arrived at Stamford Bridge and he's still yet to even make his debut.

According to widespread reports last month, Lavia was dealt a major setback on his road to recovery, pushing his return date back to late November. It's said that the Belgium international began his began his rehabilitation programme at Cobham training ground at the start of October after he was able to take off his protective boot.

The Mail Online later claimed that a return this month is viewed as 'optimistic', with the west Londoners cautious of rushing him back ahead of schedule. In fact, after Chelsea's win over Burnley just before the international break, Mauricio Pochettino hinted that the teenager faces an extended period on the sidelines.

"I cannot tell you [when he will be back] but he is still not running," said the former Spurs manager. "After the international break he will not be back."

Determined to finally make his long-awaited debut for his new club, Lavia has been put through his paces by his personal trainer, RK Performance. On Instagram, the Chelsea ace reposted an image of himself completing an exercise in his Blues training gear.

If for whatever reason Lavia doesn't return to first-team action until December then he'll miss some big games for Chelsea in November. On November 6, Monday night, the Blues lock horns with Tottenham before facing his former side Manchester City just a week later.

Then on November 25, Chelsea will play Newcastle United at St James' Park before heading to the south coast for a clash against Brighton. Just days later on December 6, the west Londoners face Manchester United at Old Trafford, so Pochettino will be desperate to welcome Lavia back for the tough run of fixtures on the horizon.

Once the teenager is back in action, the Blues boss will be hoping that his incisive passing can help the forward players find the back of the net. Ahead of Chelsea's meeting with Tottenham, Pochettino said: "You can work every day and spend a lot of time. You can work but improving is about your confidence and your feelings.

"Sometimes players need time time to recover their trust. Not because you practice more. You need to have the right attititude and you need to be able to settle yourself, good feelings, the will to do. You can practice and practice and it's the same but if before if your mind is in the right place you can prove.

"At the moment we are fighting with this between recovering the trust in our offensive players. The most important is to get a good balance. You can feel we are improving, progressing, it is part of the process, part of the project, it is normal when you have young players who arrive at a club like Chelsea and the demand is high from the beginning.

"The demand and the competition doesn't wait for you. You need to put all the details, come from a differnet league, a young guy and put pressure on you. That is why it is about the processI am not worried, I am not concerned about that because we know what we are doing and we are going to perform and translate our performances into good results."