Real Madrid: A final shot at redemption for Eden Hazard this pre-season

 Eden Hazard will return to Valdebebas and join his Real Madrid teammates on the 26th of July after completing his stipulated holiday of 21 days. The 30-year-old had an average tournament with Belgium that ended prematurely against Italy in the quarter-final. Hazard’s display against Portugal was commendable but there’s still a lot of work left to do for the former Chelsea winger.

This time around, when Eden Hazard returns, he will no longer have the cushioning and support of Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman guarded and shielded Hazard as much as possible during his first two seasons. But with Carlo Ancelotti now at the helm, the 30-year-old faces a whole new challenge to revive his career.

The Belgian international will also be closely monitored and examined by the new fitness coach, Antonio Pintus. Eden Hazard will hope to get into shape before he returns to the Valdebebas as he would not want to enter Pintus’ bad books.

The 30-year-old needs to work on his fitness and diet over his vacation, especially after picking up a hamstring injury while on duty with Belgium. Real Madrid will certainly not accept Hazard returning in poor physical conditions as he did the first time he signed for the club whilst being overweight.

This might be Eden Hazard’s last shot at Real Madrid

This could be Hazard’s last shot as a Real Madrid player and making a strong impression during pre-season could be a key factor in probably turning his situation around.

Patience is running thin with Hazard and it’s not to do with injuries or performances it more to do with his commitment. Social media exploded when he was spotted overweight during his debut season and then it went a step further with his Chelsea teammates’ reunion after a bitter semi-final exit.

The tides not moving in Hazard’s direction, especially because Los Blancos paid a record sum to get him here from Chelsea.

Financially, the club is also running at loss by holding onto Hazard, according to a study by Marca, last season the Belgian missed 252 days of football that amounted to a loss worth 17 million euros for the club due to his 475,000 euros per week wages. This simply cannot continue.

Which is why it’s a make-it-or-break-it preseason for the former Blue. If he returns in shape and manages to find his groove under Ancelotti and Pintus’ demanding training sessions, perhaps we could see the best Hazard. But if he fails to settle down in Carlo’s system or cannot cope up with Pintus’s regime and has yet another poor season, perhaps it’s time to move on from Eden Hazard.

Can Eden Hazard bounce back in your opinion? Let me know in the comments below.