Chelsea fans will love what Belgian media have said about Romeo Lavia after latest display

Chelsea fans should be ready to finally see the best of Romeo Lavia after his impressive performance for Belgium against France.

Lavia's persistent injury issues have restricted him to making just 49 competitive appearances for Chelsea since joining in 2023.

The 22-year-old has shown glimpses of his lofty potential over the last three seasons, with this campaign representing a huge opportunity to finally play his part in some success.

Xabi Alonso has made him a regular starter since arriving at Stamford Bridge, with Lavia yet to pick up an injury since returning to full fitness earlier this year.

His latest showing on the international stage for Belgium should prove to Blues fans and Alonso that the 22-year-old will be key to the pursuit of more silverware this season.

Lavia even came as close as ever to completing a full 90 minutes in a competitive game for the first time since he joined Chelsea over three years ago.

Romeo Lavia praised by Belgian and French media for midfield display

Lavia started in Chelsea's first league games of the season, but sat out of their final match before the break against Brentford as Alonso was eager to rest him in case of overload and another serious injury.

The 22-year-old won just his second call-up to the senior Belgian squad last month after starting the season well, and featured in all four of their Nations League fixtures.

Mark van Bommel's side were well beaten by France in their final game on Monday night, but Lavia barely put a foot wrong in his 87 minutes of action.

He provided a fine assist for Dodi Lukebakio to open the scoring in the first half, completed 39 passes, six of seven attempted long balls and made eight defensive contributions.

Lavia won the joint-most ground duels (5) during the encounter, and was praised by Belgian and French media despite the 4-1 loss.

RTBF wrote: "A ray of light in the gloom. What talent, what elegance, what precision. And that assist for Lukebakio. If he can stay injury-free, he’s unbeatable."

While Foot Mercato said: "Having been a standout performer since the start of this tournament, the Chelsea midfielder continues to go from strength to strength this season. Up against Manu Koné in his area, he put in a superb first-half performance. He first demonstrated his strength in the 5th minute by easily winning the ball back from Lepaul after a fierce shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. Very solid defensively, he also showcased his full technical repertoire with a perfect through ball for Lukebakio."

Then the 22-year-old was praised by Voetbal Primeur too: "Lavia had already put in a strong performance against France at the Heysel and continued in the same vein. With De Bruyne and Tielemans suspended, he once again seized his chance in midfield. His superb through ball set Lukébakio on his way to Belgium’s opening goal."

Lavia has already shown why he must be a Chelsea regular

Chelsea's midfield was overrun against Brentford as Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco struggled in Lavia's absence.

The Belgian star has impressed so far this season from a statistical standpoint, winning 65 per cent of his duels per 90 minutes to place himself in the 94th percentile for that key stat among all PL midfielders up to now.

Lavia has also produced 0.45 xGOT per 90 (95th percentile), won 1.72 fouls per 90 (74th percentile), made 2.06 interceptions per 90 (87th percentile) and been dribbled past just 0.34 times per 90 (90th percentile).

While Alonso will be keen to manage his workload so he is not soon back on the sidelines, it is clear that Chelsea have a future star in Lavia and their midfield should be built around him while he is fit.