Hazard is injured and will not play in Balaidos

"After the tests done after training our player Eden Hazard, by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he was found to have an injury to the left thigh muscle", the club informed in an official statement.

Bad news for Zinedine Zidane, who will have to start the 2019-20 campaign without his star signing. The Belgian attacker has failed to shine in preseason, but faces the start of the season with optimism, eager to gain the support of his new fans.

Although the club have not wanted to set a recovery period, the newspaper 'AS' has revealed that Eden Hazard will be out for three to four weeks, in order to obtain a full recovery.

The break in his anterior muscle is one of the worst for the footballer, as recovery is complicated, as every touch of the ball affects him. Rushing to speed up his return would be giving bad advice, as it could consequently mean he would be out for longer.

The absence of Hazard in Balaidos opens a new stage for Zinedine Zidane, who will have to now rethink his attacking strategy. This Friday, in a press conference, the Frenchman winked at Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez , stating that he has them.

"James is fit and i am happy to have him in the team. I am going to count on everyone that is here and they are happy to be here, at Real Madrid", explained Zidane, about a player who he hadn't given any game time to in preseason.

In Bale's case, Zidane's declarations have been changing all summer, after publicy asking to leave as soon as possible, he now assumes that he will continue being in the team: "It seems that he was and is here with us. The dynamic and things change and i am going to count on him like all the others".

"I will have everyone that there is. Bale has an knock, but is an important player. I hope all players want to challenge to make the team and make it difficult for me to choose," said a Zidane who could not count on Hazard, who joins the list of injured people , which includes Asensio, Mendy and Rodrygo.