MADRID.- Zinedine Zidane admitted that “something is happening” with Eden Hazard after learning that the Belgian will miss the second round of the round of 16 of the Champions League against Atalanta due to a new muscle injury.
The Belgian international reappeared last Saturday during the victory against Elche after overcoming an injury that had him off the field since January last year.
Hazard played the last minutes of the game without any apparent problems, but on Monday the alarms went off after it was found out that he was not in training before the decisive match in the Champions League against Atalanta.
Zidane confirmed the bad news in a press conference in which he left several uncertain messages. “He will not be able to be with us. I can’t say more. These are things I can’t explain to you. At this time it may not be for tomorrow. I hope, because I am always positive, that it is a small thing “, said Zidane at the press conference.
“It simply came to our notice then. He is a player who has never been injured or rarely. It’s something new to him. I can’t explain more. We are with him and we want him to be well. We want to help you. I hope he will be with us soon. “
Real Madrid announced shortly afterwards that he was suffering from a psoas muscle injury in his right leg.
“After today’s tests on our player Eden Hazard by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he was diagnosed with a muscle injury in his right hip. Until the evolution “, the club announced on its website.
This is Hazard’s 11th injury since arriving in Madrid a year and a half ago. That’s why Zidane, once again, asked the fans to calm down, but added that he doesn’t know if the best version of the Belgian will end up on the bench without him.
“Wait. Our fans have to wait. We know who the player is. And we want to see Hazard play. Sure, like the club, like the players, like the staff. At this point you can’t. We’ll be patient and we’ll wait.” underlined Zidane.
“We want to help Eden and we will. I don’t know if he will be with me, because he has a long contract, but I want to see Hazard as he is as a player. And that will come. Sooner or later it will come. Now you have to be patient. “
For the game against Atalanta, which Zidane described as “final”, the coach will not be able to count on Casemiro, suspended. The coach did not want to give clues about his replacement and said that everyone can do well.
“Tomorrow they will see how we play. Other players will do well because Casemiro cannot be there. There are other players and we will be able to play a great game “.
Finally, Zidane publicly praised a Rodrygo Goes whom he described as a “player of the present and the future”, but was a little warmer with the performance of Marco Asensio, who was not included by Luis Enrique on Spain’s list for commitments. against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.
“We will ask him to score more goals and that will come with time”, the Frenchman concluded about the Mallorcan footballer.