Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said that the competitors are targeting Belgian star Eden Hazard, who is returning from a complicated injury, and talked about the reasons for the departure of Moroccan defender Ashraf Hakimi, who is preparing to sign his contract to join Milan.
And Zidane spoke during a press conference today, Wednesday, before Real Madrid's match against his guest Getafe tomorrow, Thursday, in the 33rd round of the Spanish Football League.
The French coach asked competitors not to target Hazard, and said, "We know how good he is, and so are the competitors, but I hope they will not try to cause harm to him. The competitors are playing hard, but we must be calm about it. Hazard suffered because he was away from the field for a long time, We must be patient, but he will return to his best levels soon. "
Hazard came out of the list concerned with facing Getafe, and press reports in Spain stated that Zidane preferred not to risk him during this important stage of the season, during which the Royal Club seeks to win the largest number of matches to settle the title victory in the Spanish League, before the full-time Champions League competitions during next month.
"The reality is that we have 18 points in front of us to fight over, and nothing can be said until we are crowned the title mathematically. I have lived this position as a player before, and I know we have not won anything, and neither I nor the team will forget that," Zidane said.
On the other hand, the coach of the Royal Club mentioned the departure of defender Ashraf Hakimi to Inter Milan, and said that the decision to abandon him came for sports and economic reasons.
Zidane did not provide further details, but he was referring to the riyal's endeavor to take advantage of the value of a wise transfer to Inter (about 40 million euros) in achieving the team's financial balances and reducing losses resulting from the outbreak of the Corona virus, and the sports aspect includes the presence of Danny Carvajal as a key player It is not negotiable for Zidane, while Hakimi was looking for more opportunities to play and not to return to the bench after his remarkable brilliance with Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid is looking - when it receives Getafe - for its sixth successive victory since the league resumed after the suspension due to Coruna, and exploited Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in order to move away in the lead by 4 points.