Romeo Lavia has reportedly made minimal progress in his efforts to make his debut for Chelsea.
During the closing weeks of the summer transfer window, the Blues beat Liverpool in the race to sign the Belgium international from Southampton.
Upon his arrival, head coach Mauricio Pochettino made it clear that the youngster would require a number of weeks to get up to speed ahead of making his bow for the club in the Premier League.
However, during the September international break, Lavia sustained an ankle ligament injury during training, with it initially been expected that he would miss approximately six weeks.
Instead, in his final press conference before the October equivalent, Pochettino revealed that Lavia would not be ready to return for the game with Arsenal on October 21.
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With Chelsea having progressed through to the last 16 of the EFL Cup, where they will play Blackburn Rovers on November 1, there was scope for Lavia being considered for that fixture.
According to the Daily Mail, there is no prospect of Lavia being available for selection for the encounter with the Championship outfit.
The report claims that the 19-year-old may remain sidelined until December, with a return currently scheduled for no earlier than late November.
Lavia was allegedly able to remove the protective boot that he has been wearing for the past month last week, but he is not near to taking part in training with the rest of the squad.
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Chelsea have high hopes for the £58m addition who impressed during his 26 starts and three substitute outings in the Premier League for the Saints last season.
Nevertheless, Chelsea have gradually seen more options emerge in their squad of late after a disrupted start to the campaign due to injuries.
As it stands, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher and Lesley Ugochukwu are vying for three positions in the engine room.
Carney Chukwuemeka is also fit again after recovering from a knee injury sustained in August, while Cole Palmer and Ian Maatsen are options for the most advanced role of a midfield three if required.
Darren Plant
