Real’s Hazard suffers ankle fracture ahead of City clash
Eden Hazard’s season could be at risk after Real Madrid announced on Sunday (Feb 23) that he had fractured his right ankle during Real’s 1-0 La Liga defeat by Levante.
Belgium forward Hazard, whose first season at Real has been plagued by injury, will now miss Wednesday’s Champions League last 16, first-leg clash with Manchester City and El Clasico with league leaders Barcelona on Sunday.
He has made just 10 La Liga appearances this season after arriving from Chelsea for 100 million euros (S$152m), scoring once and adding one assist.
Real did not announce a recovery time for Hazard, but Spanish media reported Hazard could be out for two months, which will be a worry for Belgium boss Roberto Martinez ahead of Euro 2020 this summer.
On Saturday, Los Blancos coach Zinedine admitted that the 29-year-old’s injury “doesn’t look good” ahead of those two huge matches, which could define his side’s season.
Hazard was pictured with an ice pack around the same right foot he broke in November after being substituted in the second half of Saturday’s loss, which handed a two-point La Liga lead to Barca ahead of the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Hazard made his first start in almost three months against Celta Vigo last weekend and started again at Levante, with a view to regaining sharpness before the City showdown. – AFP
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