Madrid (AFP)

Again injured on the right foot on Saturday, Belgian striker Eden Hazard, rookie-star of Real Madrid last summer and already absent for three months on injury this winter, could have a first white season in Spain ... and put his presence to the Euro in danger.

A "crack" or an abyss? Relapse of right ankle injury of Eden Hazard (29) opens a pit of worries at Real Madrid and the Red Devils, who hope to see the left winger return before the season finale and before the start of Euro-2020 (June 12 - July 12).

This is the story of a snowball effect injury: on November 26 against Paris SG in the group phase of the Champions League, Hazard leaves the field affected during a contact with his compatriot Thomas Meunier.

It is first treated for a simple sprain and is announced unavailable only a big week. But ten days later, on December 5, Real Madrid announced that his player was suffering from a "microfracture" in the malleolus of his right ankle.

He will remain without playing for three months, until his tenure against Celta Vigo in La Liga on February 16. Then, during his second tenure at Levante on Saturday (1-0 defeat), it was the red alert.

The N.7 merengue seemed to be victim of a "blow", according to his trainer Zinedine Zidane, and began to limp, before leaving the field by grimacing after the hour of play, replaced by Vinicius. "The feeling is bad. It doesn't seem to be going," already feared "Zizou".

And Sunday, the announcement fell: "the medical examinations passed today (Sunday) (...) revealed a crack at the level of the right distal fibula", indicated the Madrid club via press release, eight days after the return at the Belgian international competition (32 goals in 106 selections).

- As many absences as Chelsea -

This first exercise in Spain turns into a nightmare season for Hazard (1 goal and 5 assists in 15 games in all competitions), yet cutting the few times he has worn crampons in the white jersey.

And an alarming observation: in seven months at Real, Hazard has already missed as many injury games (20) as during his seven seasons at Chelsea.

The duration of his unavailability was not announced by the Madrid club, but the Spanish media evaluated it at several months. "Hazard says almost goodbye to the season," headlined Marca, the country's best-selling daily, on Sunday.

Zidane can already give up on the former Chelsea player (2012-2019) for the reception of Manchester City in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, Wednesday (20:00 GMT) at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium, and even for the clasico return from Liga against FC Barcelona, ​​again leader, next Sunday (20h00 GMT).

At Real Madrid, his absence will hurt a sector that is struggling to be decisive, with only nine goals scored by all the attackers in twelve games since the beginning of 2020.

But with an almost complete group (only Marco Asensio is still recovering after his rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and the external meniscus of the left knee in late July), Zidane has options to digitally replace Hazard in his 4-3-3 fetish, with the Brazilian Vinicius and, to a lesser extent, Isco or Gareth Bale ... Or change everything for a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1.

Will the Red Devils, among the favorites for the continental title this summer, be able to get their master to play for the Euro this summer? Possible. But will Hazard make the decision to jump the Euro to consolidate his right ankle and approach his end of career with serenity? Not impossible.

© 2020 AFP