Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Damien Duff slams Eden Hazard's attitude and for turning up 'fat' at Real Madrid

Damien Duff slammed Eden Hazard's attitude after the Belgian came on as a substitute in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday night.

Hazard's former club got a vital away goal to take back to London for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, with PSG and Manchester City clashing in the other semi tonight.

But Duff criticised Hazard after the game for turning up 'overweight' for his first pre-season with the Spanish club.

Speaking on RTE, the former Republic of Ireland international said: "You’d worry for him going forward – he’s 30, he relies on sharpness, being a quick dribbler.

"We all know after 30 it’s…like that. He’s never been a top pro and he’s never had the drive of Messi and Ronaldo. If he did, you’d probably be mentioning him with them two players.

Damien Duff (©INPHO/Tommy Dickson)

"He turned up for his first pre-season at Real Madrid – Galactico, 160 million – overweight. Fat. Call it what you want.

"You’d worry for him, because he’s had 11 injuries and to come back from 11 injuries – and he’s hardly played in two years – you need to have drive, you need to be a top pro.

"I hate aiming it at a player, but it’s always been aimed at him anyway."

Hazard was introduced to proceedings just after the hour mark as he replaced Vinicius Junior on Tuesday night.

It was only the attacking midfielder's second appearance across any competition since mid-March.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.