Romeo Lavia will not start for Belgium against Turkey on Friday evening as the national team manages his minutes, head coach Marc van Bommel has confirmed.
The midfielder made his full senior debut for Belgium in the match against France, where he limped off late on. It was later confirmed he had been suffering from cramp, not a more serious injury.
Minutes managed carefully
Lavia has struggled for fitness since joining Chelsea from Southampton in 2023 and is yet to play a full 90 minutes of competitive football for the Blues. He has made a bright start to this campaign, however, featuring regularly at club level.
Belgium will follow Chelsea’s lead in managing his workload for the remainder of the international break.
Van Bommel explains decision
“Romeo came on as a substitute against Italy and played 85 minutes against France,” Van Bommel explained. “He did a fantastic job. You can already assume that I won't be starting him. Chelsea are being cautious with him, and so are we. We want to make optimal use of his qualities.”
Michael Olise scored the only goal of the match against France moments after Lavia’s withdrawal, streaking through the centre of the park to find the net.
After hosting Turkey, Belgium round out this international break by visiting France on Monday. It remains to be seen whether Lavia will be involved in either fixture before returning to Chelsea.
