MADRID.- Zinedine Zidane admitted that “something is wrong” with Eden Hazard after hearing that the Belgian will miss the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Atalanta due to a new muscle injury.
The Belgium international appeared again in the win over Elche last Saturday after overcoming an injury that had taken him off the field since January.
Hazard played the final minutes of the game without apparent problems, but alarms went off on Monday after it was learned that he was not in practice ahead of the decisive Champions League game against Atalanta.
Zidane confirmed the bad news in a press conference in which he left several uncertain reports. “He won’t be able to be with us. I can say no more. These are things I cannot explain to you. At the moment it cannot be until tomorrow. I hope, because I am always positive, that it is a trifle, ”said Zidane at the press conference.
“Anyway, something is happening. He is a player who has never or rarely been injured. It’s something new to him. I can’t explain anymore. We are with him and we want him to be fine. We want to help you. I hope he will be with us soon ”.
Real Madrid announced shortly afterwards that he sustained a muscle injury to the psoas in his right leg.
“After the tests conducted today on our player Eden Hazard by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he was diagnosed with a muscle injury in the right psoas. Awaiting evolution, ”the club announced on its website.
This is Hazard’s eleventh injury since arriving in Madrid a year and a half ago. That’s why Zidane once again asked fans for calm, adding that he doesn’t know if the best version of the Belgian will arrive without him on the bench.
“Wait. Our fans have to wait. We know the player he is. And we want to see Hazard play. Of course, like the club, like the players, like the staff. Right now you can’t. We’ll be patient. have and wait, ”Zidane noted.
“We want to help Eden and we will. I don’t know if it will be with me as he has a long contract, but I want to see what Hazard is like as a player. And this is going to come. Sooner or later it will come. Now you have to be patient ”.
For the match against Atalanta, which Zidane described as a “final”, the coach cannot count on Casemiro, who is suspended. The coach did not want to give any clues about his replacement and stated that everyone can do it well.
“Tomorrow they will see how we are going to play. Other players will do well, because Casemiro cannot be there. There are other players and we’re going to make it to make a great game ”.
Finally, Zidane publicly praised a Rodrygo Goes who he described as a “player of the present and the future”, but it was a little more lukewarm with the performance of Marco Asensio, who was not included in Spain’s list by Luis Enrique for the commitments against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.
“We are going to ask him to score more goals and this will come with time,” the Frenchman concluded about the Majorcan footballer.