Football

Martinez tips Hazard to shine in 2021

Belgium’s head coach Roberto Martinez attends the UEFA Euro 2020 qualification football match between Belgium and Cyprus at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels on November 19, 2019. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)


Head coach of Belgium, Roberto Martinez believes Eden Hazard will be one of the standout performers in world football in 2021.
The Real Madrid star missed out on Belgium’s final games of this year with coronavirus.
He has however been tipped to make a barnstorming return to form by national team coach Martínez.
Since completing a €100million move to Real Madrid in June 2019, Hazard has been beset by injury problems and limited to just 25 appearances in all competitions. 
He has scored two goals and supplied four assists for Los Blancos, after a final campaign at Chelsea in which he registered 16 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League alone.
It will all come good for Hazard in 2021
A muscle injury meant his first outing of 2020-21 did not come until 27 October and three games into his return he tested positive for coronavirus.  
Hazard was again positive for Covid-19 at the weekend and will consequently miss Belgium’s crunch Nations League Group A2 clash with Denmark. 
However, Martínez is confident the 29-year-old will soon return to his previous heights and play an important role for Madrid and Belgium.
“Eden really wanted to join us and play the last three games in 2020,” the Belgium coach said on Tuesday. “He has had a really complicated year. I am convinced that 2021 will be a fabulous ye ar for Eden Hazard, and also the national team.”
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added: “It’s a shame he’ll miss this match, but we have enough quality to win without him. The group has more experience, we know what we have to improve. We have one of the best teams in the world.”
Witsel and Meunier sidelined

Sammy Wejinya

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