Premier League news: Hazard only behind Messi and Ronaldo because he's 'unselfish', claims Watford's Will Hughes

What's the story?

Watford midfielder Will Hughes believes Chelsea star Eden Hazard only stands behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the football standings because he is "unselfish".

In case you didn't know...

Hazard has enjoyed exceptional form this season and boasts of being the player with the second-highest amount of goal contribution in the Premier League, only behind Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

The Belgium international has netted 16 goals and tallied 13 assists for the Blues this campaign but is expected to leave this summer, with Real Madrid one of the favourites to land the Chelsea star.

Chelsea are currently battling Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal for a place in the top four as the campaign is nearing its end.

The heart of the matter

Hughes, who is set to start against Chelsea later tonight, has hailed Hazard as a team player and believes it is the only thing stopping him from being on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo.

Speaking to the official Watford website, the midfielder said, "His [Hazard’s] agility and the way he moves the ball so quickly in tight spaces is different class. Sometimes you have to just admire him."

"The reason he’s not talked about like Messi and Ronaldo is because he’s unselfish, he’d rather pass it to a team-mate, which people don’t notice as much."

"They’re a quality team with great players, so we have to be on our game 100 per cent, but we know we’ve got good players as well who can hurt them."

"They’ve got pressures themselves, they want to be in the top four, so they have massive things to play for, but we do too, and we’re going to go there and treat it as a big game."

What's next?

The Blues are set to host Watford in the league tonight at 6.30PM (IST).