Eden Hazard is ‘a little sad’ at his latest injury setback and was in top form in training before being struck down again, reveals Real Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois
- Eden Hazard was in line to return against Real Valladolid before latest setback
- It is yet another injury blow suffered since his £150m move in June last year
- The 29-year-old’s involvement in this month’s clash with Barcelona is in doubt
- The Belgian has scored once in 22 games since signing from Chelsea in 2019
Thibaut Courtois has admitted that Eden Hazard is ‘a little sad’ after suffering yet another injury problem.
Hazard is set for another spell on the sidelines after missing Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Real Valladolid with a muscle problem, having only just recovered from a serious ankle injury that ruined his debut season at the Bernabeu.
Zinedine Zidane‘s men won courtesy of a strike from Vinicius Jr to maintain their unbeaten start in La Liga this season, but did so without Hazard, who has not yet featured in the current campaign and has sat out 33 games since joining from Chelsea last June for a colossal fee of £150million.
Eden Hazard has had a miserable time with injury since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea, and his latest muscle problem has left him feeling sad, revealed Thibaut Courtois
The 29-year-old had seemed on the verge of a return to full fitness but his latest problem then scuppered his chances of returning against Valladolid and there are now doubts about whether he will be fit in time for El Clasico on October 25.
Courtois, who also plays alongside Hazard with Belgium as well as at Real Madrid, said: ‘Hazard is a little sad.
‘He was training very well; it’s a little setback. I hope he’s back soon. Hazard was looking forward to playing again.’
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane also aired his disappointment, saying: ‘I can’t tell you how long it’ll be. He picked up a bit of a knock in training before the game.
‘It looked like a muscle spasm, but in the end it turned out to be a bit more than that. It’s something muscular. It’s nothing to do with the injury he’s had and these things happen.
‘He’s been out for a long time. I don’t think this one will be long, but I can’t tell you exactly. He’s upset because he was alright. We talked about it at the press conference before the match, but he’s had a setback and these things can happen.
‘He’s not happy, he knows that it’s not a big thing. We have to take it easy with him.’
Hazard has scored just once in 22 appearances in all competitions since leaving Chelsea in June 2019.
He has missed two months between early December and early February with a hairline crack in his foot before suffering an ankle fracture two weeks after his return.
Thibaut Courtois was critical of his side’s slow start against strugglers Real Valladolid
Luckily for the 29-year-old, that ankle problem did not see him miss too much competitive football due to the coronavirus shutdown and he will hope this latest setback can be put to bed soon as Real look to fight on multiple fronts.
Courtois was disappointed with his side’s start against Valladolid, who sit 18th in the embryonic league table.
‘If you don’t move the ball fast, it’s comfortable for them to defend. We lacked that speed,’ he admitted.
‘When we increase the pace like in second half, we’ve been better off.’
