GLEN Johnson has proposed that Chelsea could loan Romeo Lavia back to Saints if his game time is limited at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian midfielder played 29 times for Southampton in the Premier League last season as they were relegated to the Championship.

He has since joined Chelsea for £58million and will be competing with fellow youngsters Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for a starting berth in Chelsea's midfield.

Johnson, who made 71 appearances for the Blues during his four-year stint at the London club, doesn't think fans should worry if Lavia doesn’t hit the ground running at Chelsea.

Speaking to Betfred, the former England international said: “It all depends on how he starts. He’s a fantastic player, but he’s still a young kid.

"You can never buy a 19 year old and assume they’re going to walk straight into your first-team.

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"You have to wait and see how he performs amongst the top players that Chelsea already have.

"He’s gone into a big dressing room that includes many top, top players, so I can’t imagine that Chelsea are expecting him to come in and improve them straight away.

Daily Echo:

“There’s a chance that Romeo does settle in very quickly if he’s older than his years.

"If he doesn’t start off too well, then they could always loan him out as he’s so young and will be at the club for a number of years.

"They could even let him go back to Southampton and give him a chance to perform. On the other hand, if he hits the ground running and doesn’t look out of place, then he will get even more game time.

"It’s hard to guess what’s going to happen as he’s so young and going into such a big dressing room.”