Chelsea FC attacker Eden Hazard reportedly had scans on his hip after being forced to leave the pitch in the first half of the Blues’ 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Monday
Eden Hazard lasted just 31 minutes against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, with the Belgian being forced off with a hip injury after what seemed like a fairly innocuous challenge by the Foxes’ Jamie Vardy.
It was apparent that the 24-year-old was in extreme pain, and after entering the pitch again for a brief moment, Hazard left again immediately after being unable to walk off the injury.
According to the ever-reliable London-based Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur, the Chelsea FC No 10 underwent a scan on his hip recently, and there appears to be no lasting damage done by Vardy’s tackle. However, Terreur reported on Twitter that Hazard had difficulty walking on Monday and Tuesday.
Eden Hazard had scans on his hip injury yesterday, but it doesn’t seem too serious. #CFC
a Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) December 16, 2015
@danlevene Well, Dan. He could barely walk on Monday and Tuesday. a Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) December 16, 2015
Wonder if anyone has ever tried to run with a bruised hip or a hip contusion. Quite painful to be honest.
a Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) December 16, 2015
The injury is believed to be what is known as a ‘hip contusion’ — an injury that occurs due to the force of a blow that causes small blood vessels in the hip to tear, although there is no tear in the skin itself.
The full extent of his injury is likely to be known only on Friday at the manager’s pre-match press conference, but there is a chance that Hazard could return for Sunderland’s visit to Stamford Bridge.
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Claims of Hazard ‘faking’ injury absurd
A Belgian newspaper questioned whether Hazard possibly ‘faked’ the injury as a form of protest against manager Jos Mourinho, and although Chelsea FC fans have not exactly gone to that extreme, there is some frustration at the nature of his substitution.
There is a sense among the Blues’ faithful that Hazard wasn’t as “tough” as he should have been, but given the Belgian is not a stranger to taking hits, that narrative makes little sense. Quite simply, it was clear to anybody watching the game that Hazard was in intense pain and clearly could not continue despite — and this is crucial — attempting to do so when he came back onto the pitch for a brief moment.
The 24-year-old has taken hits all his life from slow, inept and plainly frustrated defenders, and has gained a reputation for being able to ‘ride’ challenges. It is extremely unlikely that the Belgian would have made the decision to not continue unless there was serious cause for doing so.