Long-time Real Madrid target Eden Hazard has revealed he would love the chance to play under Jose Mourinho again.
The Belgian star, who was heavily linked with a switch to the Bernabeu last summer, has started the season like a house on fire under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.
While speculation over the 27-year-old’s future doesn’t seem to be going away, Hazard – who is currently on international duty with Roberto Martinez’s men – has gone on record to say he would like to rekindle his bond with Mourinho in the future.
Mourinho, of course, has been under-increasing pressure at Manchester United this season but enjoyed a trophy-laden spell working with Hazard at Stamford Bridge, given they won the league together during the 2014-15 campaign.
That season, Hazard banged in 14 goals and 10 assists – earning him the FWA Footballer of the Year and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards – but like Mourinho, the wheels came off the falling year as his form deteriorated and Mourinho was sacked.
Nevertheless, he has fond memories of the time they spent together.
“If I’m now asked one coach with whom I want to work again, then I say: Mourinho,” Hazard told old Belgian newspaper HLN.
“I do not regret many things in my career, but that I have not been able to work with Mourinho at Chelsea anymore (is one). We had a team to get a lot of prizes, but we just ended up in a negative spiral.”
Hazard went on to say: “If you win, Mourinho is the best coach you can imagine. Then he is a friend of yours – you can do whatever you want. Want one day off? He gives you two. If everything goes well, Mourinho will experience football like me: with ease. Even his own image of an extremely defensive coach was not too bad. He is far from adventurous like (Pep) Guardiola, but the year in which we became champions, we scored a lot of goals and played good games.”
