'He arrived with problems' - Liverpool dodged transfer bullet as Romeo Lavia's injury nightmare laid bare

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about Romeo Lavia's injury-plagued season after it was announced the midfielder was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Chelsea announced the news on Wednesday after Lavia suffered a setback in his recovery, with the midfielder having come close to moving to Liverpool last summer instead. The 20-year-old, who signed from Southampton for £58m after Chelsea hijacked a potential switch to Anfield, has only featured once for the Blues.

He played just 32 minutes on his debut against Crystal Palace in December and picked up a fresh injury. Prior to that, he had missed the first four months of the season with an ankle injury.

Lavia had been doing some individual work at Cobham in his rehabilitation programme, but the setback means supporters won't see him in action again this season. It is a huge blow for Pochettino and co, who has not been able to call on the Belgian midfielder all season long after he snubbed a move to Liverpool for Chelsea.

Speaking about the blow in his pre-match press conference ahead of the weekend's Premier League clash against Burnley, Pochettino said: "It's a really difficult situation and he's sad. He's only played 30 minutes after joining a new club. When the club signed him he arrived with problems from Southampton, and then when he was ready he suffered a problem in his feet."

The Blues boss also revealed Lavia suffered hip, feet and quad injuries since joining the club. "It's difficult to explain because I'm not a doctor," he added. "He arrived and I think he had a hip injury. Then he trained and suffered a knock in his feet, then he got a quad injury against Crystal Palace."

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Lavia himself, took to social media to send an emotional message to fans. He wrote: "Hi Chelsea family. As you may know and despite my countless efforts, I will be missing the remainder of the season.

"This has been a frustrating season for me, not being able to help my teammates. I love this squad, this badge and being on the pitch more than anything.

"Trust that I have given my all everyday to get back. Thank you for the love, support and critics because they all affect me positively and keep me going. Can't wait to give it back and share many special moments together [blue heart emoji] See you soon."