Chelsea hope Romeo Lavia can make his long-awaited return to first-team action against Arsenal next Sunday.
Standard Sport understands Lavia is first set to feature for the Chelsea Under-21s against Leeds United on Friday as he works his way back.
It will be a significant moment for the Belgian, marking his first match action since a quad injury forced him off in the eighth minute of the 2-2 draw away to Qarabag in the Champions League on November 5.
Lavia has been in full first-team training for the last ten days to two weeks.
He will not be involved for Liam Rosenior’s first team in Saturday’s home game against Burnley but the club have earmarked the Premier League trip to face the Gunners on March 1 as the match when the central midfielder could make his long-awaited return to the first-team fold.
Lavia’s rehab has been managed differently than it would have been for other players, as Chelsea’s medical staff are keen to avoid a relapse.
The 22-year-old has been injury-plagued throughout his time at Chelsea, featuring just 30 times in all competitions for the Blues in two and a half years. He has not yet completed a full 90 minutes.
It is hoped that featuring for the U21s in Friday’s Premier League 2 match against Leeds at Cobham will be a helpful step in his progress and that, if all goes to plan and there are no further complications or hiccups, the Arsenal game can be his first game back with the first team.
