Eden Hazard has a fractured ankle that will keep him out of Belgium’s upcoming friendly against the Czech Republic and then the World Cup qualifier against Estonia to follow.
Hazard suffered the injury in training with Belgium on Sunday. At first, the team said he twisted his ankle during individual training, but after undergoing scans, they discovered he had fractured it.
It’s still unclear how long Hazard’s ankle will keep him sidelined. Neither Belgium nor Chelsea issues a timeframe for his return.
Belgium are first in their World Cup qualifying group, but only two points clear of Greece and three points clear of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While they could probably handle the Estonia match without Hazard, as well as their August 31 clash with Gibraltar, they’ll need him on September 3 when they travel to Greece.
Meanwhile, Chelsea start their next season on August 12, which is less than 10 weeks away. Defending their Premier League crown will be hard enough and they don’t want to start the season shorthanded on top of that.
Hopefully, Hazard’s fractured ankle can heal quickly and he won’t miss too much time.