The ‘explosive’ Romeo Lavia has come on leaps and bounds at Premier League strugglers Southampton, his former Belgium U19 coach Erik van Mier tells Het Laaste Nieuws.
With Axel Witsel’s best days behind him and with neither Leander Dendoncker nor Youri Tielemans developing as the Rote Duivels may have hoped, new Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco may be tempted to try out an all-new central partnership during this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Sweden and Germany.
In Lavia and Everton’s Amadou Onana, Tedesco has two of Europe’s most exciting young midfielders at his disposal. 19-year-old Lavia has only featured once for his country at U21 level.
Such has been the speed of his emergence at Southampton, however, the former Manchester City youngster is already in line for a senior bow.
Much to the delight of a man who worked alongside Lavia at youth level.
Southampton star Romeo Lavia could make Belgium debut
“He’s learned so much. He is very down-to-earth, and has no ego,” Van Mier, assistant coach for Belgium’s U19 side, tells HLN. “He was always calm and unobtrusive. Romeo was always responsive on the field. He is a footballing midfielder, and reads the game very well.
“He is explosive and strong in the duels. Even though, physically, he may not be the prototype of a ‘number six’.”
Lavia’s supreme self-confidence and remarkable poise in possession has not gone unnoticed; The Daily Mail reporting that Arsenal, Manchester United and co are watching closely in the event that relegation-threatened Southampton are forced to sell a man they snapped up for a now-bargain fee of around £10 million (BBC).
“Reading the game, intercepting (balls), playing forward; He can do it all,” Van Mier adds. “Providing a measured pass between the lines is his specialty. You can see that Romeo has learned a lot by training with Manchester City’s first-team.”
The Daily Mail believe that City have a £40 million buy-back clause in Lavia’s contract. One that can only be exercised during the summer of 2024.
“I don’t read it (the rumours) because I just don’t think about it,” Lavia said recently. “I just enjoy my football and focus on what we have to do as a club.
“Whatever is outside, it is not what I can control. So I don’t pay attention to that. Football, with how it goes, it goes so fast.
“One moment you can be in the headlines and the next, you’re not. So the only thing to do is just be neutral; don’t think about it and get your head down and work.”
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