Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has revealed that Eden Hazard is on the mend after ankle surgery, although he refused to put a date on the Real Madrid star’s return to action.
Hazard’s debut season in LaLiga has been badly interrupted by injuries which have limited him to just 14 starts in all competitions.
Having spent three months on the sidelines with a foot issue, the forward suffered a fractured ankle in February against Levante which forced him under the knife.
According to Martinez, though, the former Chelsea star’s recovery is on track.
‘I know he is recovering well. He is not far from running again and there are no complications,’ Martinez told reporters.
‘Everything went well with the operation, but you also hope that everything goes well in the four to five weeks afterwards without complications, and there were none.
‘We know he will return stronger. We were also fortunate, of course, to have his surgery take place just before the coronavirus outbreak.
‘Otherwise he would not be able to travel or be treated outside of Madrid. I have a positive feeling that Eden will be back soon.’
Hazard’s rehabilitation efforts have been complicated by the onset of Covid-19, which has confined him to his home after Spain introduced lockdown measures.
The Belgian admits that one of his biggest challenges was to avoid packing on the pounds due to his restricted mobility .
‘It’s complicated for me. I’m trying not to eat a lot. I’m trying not to go into the pantry to eat a lot of buns, but it’s not easy,’ he told RTBF in a recent interview.
‘I’m working with the physio online. He can’t come here anymore because he fell ill and has to stay at home.
‘We started 10 days ago, but he sends me videos from home. I’m working to strengthen my ankle and I’m doing what I can from home.’
The 29-year-old, who moved to Madrid last summer in a €100-million (£88m/$112m) move from Chelsea, has been teaching his children some football skills despite his bad leg.
‘I can’t teach them much. I’m working with a leg and a half, but I’m trying to improve them a little bit anyway with the technique.’
