Xabi Alonso says Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia "is in a good place" after a series of injuries over the past few seasons.

Lavia joined Chelsea in August 2023 from Southampton for a reported £58m, but has failed to make a noticeable impact for the Blues.

The 22-year-old made just 43 appearances across all competitions from 2023-24 to 2025-26, nursing various hamstring injuries since his move to Stamford Bridge.

However, the Belgium international has featured nine times this season under Alonso, and was particularly impressive in Chelsea's win over Manchester United on Saturday.

Along with providing an assist for Morgan Rogers, Lavia led his team-mates in possessions won (14) and tackles won (4/5), while also winning seven of his nine duels and recording four interceptions.

Lavia also played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea's EFL Cup loss to Liverpool three days before their win over United, and Alonso is delighted with the midfielder's recent progress.

"We know Rom is feeling better, is feeling stronger, is feeling more confident to go with more minutes and with more load," Alonso told Chelsea's website.

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"He's gone from playing the whole game at Anfield to not even 72 hours later playing that way and with that energy [against United]. Sometimes the head is more important than the legs and now his head is in a good place.

"It was a top performance. In the last three weeks, I've seen Romeo in top form.

"His game, from a midfielder's point of view, was very complete. He has done so many good things and I'm happy for him. He deserves huge recognition.

"He has done so many things right. He was always connecting the defence with the attacking players, he was able to switch the game, he has taken many right decisions, was very dynamic and competitive.

"Not just this game but in the last two or three weeks, he has been playing at a very good level and I'm very happy for him."