Eden Hazard is not expected to return to first-team action with Real Madrid until late November at the earliest and is definitely out of the first El Clasico of the season against Barcelona this week.
As highlighted by Marca, the Belgian will not play again for Madrid this side of the November international break and Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has said: “It has been longer than we thought.”
The former Chelsea star has continually been frustrated with injuries and lost large portions of last season through injury and has faced a frustrating start to this campaign.
The player’s decision to join up with the national team meant he lost 10 days of pre-season training with his club and there is said to now be scrutiny over the decision.
Hazard netted just one goal across 22 appearances in his debut campaign in Spain, although Madrid ended up winning their first league title in three years.
The Belgian international suffered a fracture to his right distal fibula during the 1-0 La Liga loss at Levante in February – just a week after he returned from a similar three-month layoff, summing up a difficult campaign.
