Eden Hazard injury: Real Madrid confirm Belgian has suffered fractured ankle again

Real Madrid have confirmed Eden Hazard is set to miss both the crunch Champions League tie with Manchester City in midweek as well as the upcoming El Clasico after suffering another injury setback

On Saturday, the Belgian was making only his second appearance following a long-term ankle injury suffered in November when he was once again forced off in Real’s 1-0 defeat to Levante.

Hazard’s Real Madrid nightmare: Five things to know

• Hazard has only mustered 10 league appearances this season due to recurring injury problems.
• In La Liga, he has just one goal and four assists.
• Hazard is yet to find the net in the Champions League.
• The Belgian didn’t make his debut until September due to a thigh strain.
• He then suffered another blow after a tackle from Thomas Meunier in the Champions League in mid-November.

Since returning from injury he has looked impressive, but limped off in the 67th minute at the Ciutat de Valencia. After the game, manager Zinedine Zidane admitted that the situation didn’t “look good.””

Now, in a statement released by Real Madrid on Sunday, the injury was confirmed as a fracture to his right distal fibula which means Hazard is facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

The official statement read: “After the tests performed today our player Eden Hazard by the Medical Services of Real Madrid has been diagnosed with a fissure in the right distal fibula.

“His recovery will continue to be assessed.”

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The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Zidane’s side with a crunch Champions League tie and El Clasico both on the horizon.

Real face an old Catalan foe in Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Then, next Sunday, Barcelona travel to Madrid – currently boasting a slender two-point lead in La Liga title race. Having already been knocked out of the Copa Del Rey, the next week is likely to be season defining for a club that prides itself on its domestic and European supremacy.

The absence of his marquee summer signing could leave Zidane in an embattled state. Hazard joined Real Madrid in the summer for a fee that could eventually exceed £150 million, fresh from arguably his best season in a Chelsea shirt.

Unleashed in Maurizio Sarri’s offensive 4-3-3 formation, the Belgian scored 16 goals and assisted 15 in the Premier League last season. He also played an influential role in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final, scoring twice, but is yet to replicate such form in the Spanish capital.

His latest injury setback means that his maiden campaign at the Bernabeu is likely to be remembered as little more than a disappointment.