Real Madrid: Eden Hazard’s return target after latest injury
Real Madrid left winger Eden Hazard was supposed to be in the squad against Real Valladolid, but he will miss some more time with another injury.
Ever since suffering an ankle injury against PSG last November, Eden Hazard‘s Real Madrid career has been stalled by recurring ankle issues. He returned early in 2020 only to be sidelined a couple of games into his return, and he was dealing with more issues entering the 2020-2021 season.
Hazard was scheduled to make his season debut against Real Valladolid on Wednesday but was dropped from the squad that day due to a new injury. The Belgian is expected to miss a few weeks with this latest ailment.
According to a report from MARCA, the Real Madrid forward is aiming to make his return to Los Blancos in time for El Clasico. Los Blancos will face FC Barcelona on Oct. 25 at the Camp Nou, having defeated them without Hazard in March 2-0 behind a big game from Vinicius Junior.
Real Madrid won’t want to push Eden Hazard to return too quickly
While Real Madrid don’t need Hazard to beat Barcelona due to Vinicius’ ability, Los Blancos are a better team with a fully fit Hazard. But would he be fully fit against Barcelona? Real want to take every precaution with Hazard, and as we saw against Manchester City, Hazard wasn’t exactly effective in that game at less than 100 percent. Pushing him to play comes with tangible risks and potentially fewer rewards than expected.
On a personal level, Hazard probably really wants to play in a Clasico and be a difference-maker. In order to play against Barcelona, he’d need to look good in a tune-up game beforehand. But even then, would one appearance for 30 minutes off the bench be enough to get him at full confidence and speed against Real Madrid’s most prolific rivals?
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We can only hope Eden Hazard recovers from this injury quickly, fully, and without any aggravations. Hazard is a joy to watch with the ball at his feet when he is fully confident in his body. It would be lovely to see him in El Clasico, but we must wait and see how the situation unfolds over the coming weeks.