Chelsea have seemingly been handed a major boost regarding the fitness of Romeo Lavia.
Ever since arriving from Southampton in a deal that could rise to £58m, the midfielder has endured a frustrating stint at Stamford Bridge.
After making just one substitute outing during 2023-24, Lavia has been restricted to nine starts and four substitute appearances this campaign.
Despite that being a vast improvement on the previous season, the Belgium international has endured a stop-start period where he has rarely been match-fit for several matches in a row.
As such, Enzo Maresca made the decision earlier this year to leave the 21-year-old out of his squad for the Conference League knockout stages.
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Lavia returns to training
However, prior to the Blues squaring off against Legia Warsaw in the second leg of their quarter-final tie on Thursday night, Lavia has been seen on the grass at Cobham.
According to football.london, Lavia was participating in full training, rather than being limited to any individual work.
With several days remaining ahead of the West London derby at Fulham on Sunday, Chelsea will hope to have Lavia on the substitutes' bench for that fixture.
Aside from an eight-minute appearance against Arsenal on March 16, Lavia has not been seen since the middle of January.
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Will Maresca rely on Lavia?
Chelsea's current position of sixth in the Premier League table has placed greater emphasis on winning the Conference League, which would earn Europa League football for 2025-26.
Everyone associated with Chelsea wants to qualify for the Champions League, yet defeat to Fulham on Sunday would leave the club just three points above their ninth-placed opponents in the standings with five games left.
Lavia staying fit for the rest of the season would at least allow the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to be handed rests at appropriate times.
If Chelsea reach the Conference League final, they would play 10 games before the end of the season.
Darren Plant
