Real Madrid should cut their losses on Eden Hazard, claims Dimitar Berbatov

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 20 May 2021 11:26 BST
• 2 min read

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov believes Real Madrid should consider cutting their losses on Eden Hazard.

The former Chelsea forward has struggled since making his dream move to Spain for a fee that could rise to £150m. In the Belgium international’s maiden campaign, he managed just one La Liga strike in 14 league starts after a string of injuries restricted his playing time.

It was hoped that the new season would see the diminutive attacker find his best form, but he’s once again been hampered by fitness issues. The 30-year-old has managed just 631 minutes of first-team action in 2020-21, producing three goals in 13 outings.

In an interview with Betfair, as quoted by Marca, the former Bulgaria international revealed he believes Los Blancos should now look to offload Hazard due to his continuous struggles in Madrid.

“Real Madrid should consider selling Hazard. He has had a lot of injuries since he arrived in Spain, and that has prevented him from showing the brilliant football that he played at Chelsea.

“If it was something occasional, then it would be a different matter, but the fact is that the player is injured again and again and again. That is a sign that there is another problem that is affecting him.”

When quizzed further, Berbatov began to question whether the Spanish giants had made a mistake in signing the former Stamford Bridge fans-favourite.

“Will he be able to regain the form he had and show that the money Real Madrid invested in him was the right decision? Right now, the answer is no,” he added.

“It’s true that Hazard has only just turned 30 and still has a lot of time to contribute a lot, but this question is one which needs to be asked. Hazard has yet to prove anything in Madrid, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he left in the summer.”