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Eden Hazard is a player who has not matched the lofty standards he set during his 7-year stint with Chelsea at Real Madrid.
According to former Republic of Ireland forward Tony Cascarino, Hazard has never taken his big-money switch to Real Madrid seriously. He aimed a swipe at the Belgian for his passive, uninspiring display against Manchester City yesterday that ultimately saw Real Madrid knocked out of the Champions League.
Citing the reasons behind Hazard's injuries to be his own carelessness, Cascarino had no choice but to admit that he watched a completely different player altogether in the UCL Round of 16.
Cascarino also boldly claimed that Hazard has the tendency to switch off during matches, while he also accused him of 'downing his tools' very often.
"Hazard downs tools so often" - Cascarino slams the Real Madrid star
Hazard emerged as one of the finest wingers in the modern-day game while he was at Chelsea, steering the club to a host of trophies as well as gaining recognition with individual accolades such as PFA Player of the Year among others.
He netted an impressive 110 goals and laid on 92 assists for Chelsea, before a dream move to Real Madrid came calling.
However, the Real Madrid record signing turned up unfit for pre-season, even acknowledging the fact that he deserves the freedom when on holiday.
What has followed since then is a long list of disheartening injury layoffs that have kept him on the sidelines every now and then. As a result, Hazard has found the back of the net just once for Real Madrid.
Hazard somehow passed the fitness test ahead of the UCL knockout, having started training with Real Madrid a few days prior to the defeat. However, the winger was a pale shadow of himself, as underlined by the 37 touches and lack of incision he endured during the game.
Opining on the Real Madrid star, Cascarino said:
“We all know how brilliant Hazard can be, we all know the difference he can make to a football team. But he didn’t take the move to Madrid seriously, and he’s paid for it this season. He turned up overweight, he’s been playing catch-up, he’s getting niggly injuries. Watching him last night was like watching a completely different player."
The 57-year-old continued by pointing the finger at Hazard for not taking his move to Real Madrid seriously.
“Kyle Walker must’ve been thinking, ‘Is this the same player I faced at Chelsea?’ He’s a brilliant player, but he’s paid the price for turning up at Madrid for a big fee and not taking it seriously."
He concluded by asserting that Hazard downs his tools very often.
“He does switch off every now and again. As good and as great as he can be, he does down tools every so often,” Cascarino added.
Hazard will aim to put the array of injuries behind him when Real Madrid prepare for the next season. All eyes will be on him as Real Madrid aim to retain their La Liga crown as well as challenge for European glory.
