It would be safe to say that Real Madrid’s decision to break their transfer record in order to sign Eden Hazard in the summer of 2019 was a mistake on the part of the club. At that time, there was a lot of excitement around the move but in hindsight, it is clear that things have not worked out for the Belgian since moving to the Spanish capital.
Hazard has had to deal with one injury after another since joining Real Madrid and that has resulted in him losing his form completely.
The recent World Cup was viewed as the last chance for Hazard to show that he was still a world-class player but instead, it ended up providing further proof towards the contrary. The Belgian captain struggled to make an impact in the first two games and was benched for the crucial third one against Croatia, as the Red Devils could not even make the knockout stages of the competition. The Real Madrid star announced his international retirement soon afterwards.
Yet, it looks like Carlo Ancelotti expects Hazard to feature heavily in the second half of the season. As reported by Real Madrid’s official website, the manager said:
“He’s doing well. He’s trained well and is in better shape than before the World Cup. He’s done well recently and with all the games we’ve got we have to make use of the whole squad. He’s one of the players who is going to feature most in the second half of the competition.”
Ancelotti makes unexpected Hazard claim as Real Madrid prepare for return after World Cup
It is pretty clear that Hazard is not a starter for Real Madrid at this point of time. In fact, he might very well be the last-choice winger in the squad right now. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has made 6 appearances and played just 229 minutes of football this season till now.
At the same time though, Real Madrid do not have a lot of depth at the moment. And with games coming thick and fast in the second half of the campaign, he might have a role to play if he can impress with his performances.
Could Hazard enjoy an unexpected career revival at Real Madrid in the second half of this season? It feels very unlikely but let’s see what the future holds.
Source: therealchamps.com
