Eden Hazard will be back playing again, at last, against Celta Vigo, 82 days on from his injury, after the protection that Zinedine Zidane opted for in the last two matches against Real Sociedad and Osasuna, in which he expected a physical harshness that the Belgian is not yet able to withstand.
Hazard will finalise getting up to speed this week, working alone Monday and Tuesday in the Real Madrid training complex, and from Wednesday with the group as he has done the last two weeks.
Zidane already gave a glimpse of his plans after the victory at El Sadar, after spending a period that he considered necessary to train at the same pace as the group in order to improve his physical tone. "We decided together and it wasn't the time, we'll see this week. He's going to need this long week and we'll see him next week, I hope," he said, pointing to Sunday's game against Celta as the perfect time for Hazard's return.
Injured since 26th November, when he suffered a hard tackle from his compatriot Thomas Meunier in the Champions League match against PSG, the hopes of the first tests were twisted when it was found out that his right ankle had been affected where he had a titanium plate from a previous operation.
Although Hazard avoided surgery, the recovery process has been slower than expected and the time he has been out for will reach almost 3 months in the end. Once he didn't make the target of playing in the Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid, the new challenge was to arrive in the best conditions possible for the big European match against Manchester City.
Before the Champions League match, the first leg will take place at the Santiago Bernabéu, Hazard will have 2 league matches to gain momentum against Celta Vigo and Levante. In this way, when he returns after 82 days he will have missed 16 Real Madrid matches and his first trophy as a Madrid player, the Spanish Super Cup.