“He has never been as fit as he is today” – Sources close to Eden Hazard confirm ‘he’s sad’ after failing to feature in El Clasico for Real Madrid

According to sources close to the footballer, Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard is sad after failing to feature in the El Clasico on Sunday. Xavi’s Barcelona ran riot against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu after two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelloti took up the bulk of the blame after the match. Regardless, Eden Hazard was an unused substitute which made it the fifth straight game he has not featured despite being fit.

Hazard last played against Alaves in February for six minutes and was given a grand total of nine minutes in the first leg of the Champions League tie against PSG. Considered to be one of the best footballers in the world only until a couple of years, Hazard’s downfall can be attributed mostly to his struggles with fitness.

According to GOAL, sources close to the winger have claimed that the former Chelsea player is sad due to his very limited game time. The source said:

“He really wanted to play the game. He's sad. He has never been as fit as he is today. In his entire career."

Eden Hazard’s troubles with his fitness have been long-standing. However, the Belgian’s talent is undoubted and he is under contract at the club until the end of the 2023-24 season.

According to Goal, Real Madrid are looking into the possibility of releasing him in the summer. Hazard himself is amicable to finding a solution and might end up leaving the club, one way or another.

What is next for Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard?

Eden Hazard becomes one of the many gifted footballers who simply failed to make the most of their move to Real Madrid. At Chelsea, the Belgian lit up the Premier League and was virtually unstoppable at times.

Hazard’s ability to beat men combined with his playmaking skills more than made up for the reported lack of work in training. However, Hazard arrived at Madrid overweight and has since failed to recreate his Chelsea form. The situation is bound to get worse in the coming time despite him reportedly being in his best physical shape.

Vinicius Junior’s performances over the past few months have made him undroppable on the left wing. Meanwhile, the likes of Asensio and Rodrygo are preferred by Ancelloti on the right flank.

The potential arrival of Kylian Mbappe is bound to further push Hazard down the pecking order. This means that a move is the best possible outcome for the player. A return to Chelsea has consistently been on the cards although the club’s recent troubles mean that that might not be a possibility.

Still, a host of big clubs can be expected to take a chance considering it was only two and a half years ago that Madrid paid €100 million to secure Hazard's services.