The Belgian midfielder has endured a nightmare debut season at Chelsea, having joined the club from Southampton in a £53 million ($67m) deal last summer. Lavia saw his debut delayed after he suffered a muscle and an ankle injury, which kept him out of action until December, and he would go on to pick up a fresh knock when making his first appearance for the Blues against Crystal Palace.

On Wednesday, the Premier League giants confirmed that the 20-year-old has been ruled out of action for the remainder of the season, as he has been dealt a “setback” in his recovery from the thigh injury that he sustained against the Eagles.

In their official statement, the club wrote: “Midfielder Romeo Lavia is to unfortunately miss the remainder of our 2023-24 campaign following a setback in his recovery. Recent medical assessments have confirmed that Lavia, who sustained a significant thigh injury against Crystal Palace back in December, will not feature again this season.”

The Belgium international’s fresh injury setback comes as another big blow to Mauricio Pochettino and his side, who will be next seen in action against Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. The Argentina boss is under huge pressure after a frustrating campaign that has seen Chelsea struggle to break back into the top ten, with the FA Cup now their only route left to silverware and European qualification.