Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia was absent from the squad for the club's 6-4 pre-season victory against Western Sydney Wanderers at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
The 22-year-old Belgian experienced hamstring discomfort before the match.
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Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed the issue during his post-match press conference. "He felt something in the hamstring," Alonso said.
The coaching staff decided to be cautious and not risk the player, who had been working closely with medical staff to prepare for pre-season.
Alonso downplayed the severity of the injury. "Not a big thing.
We are expecting him to be fit for Saturday, hopefully," he added.
Lavia has struggled with injuries since joining Chelsea from Southampton for over £50 million three years ago.
He has made only 21 appearances and has never completed a full 90-minute match for the Blues.
Before the setback, Lavia expressed optimism about his fitness and working with the new coaching staff.
In a club diary entry, he said, "We have all enjoyed working under the new manager, and he has great experience in the game."
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He described pre-season as focused on building fundamentals.
"Pre-season so far has been about getting the basics in place to build on, because we want to have a great season," Lavia said.
Lavia praised Alonso's hands-on approach. "The manager was a great player, one of the best of his generation.
You see that when he steps into a training session," he noted.
"He starts pinging balls around in a way only those who have played at the top level can.
It's a privilege to be working with him, especially as a midfielder."
Lavia added that he felt ready for the campaign. "Personally, I'm feeling good.
I did a lot of work with people at the club to ensure I was ready and could start pre-season strong once we got going," he said.
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He also looked forward to playing in front of fans during the Australian tour.
