Eden Hazard was the face of Real Madrid‘s extra-time comeback Copa del Rey win against Elche and his performance from the bench could have him in line to start the LaLiga Santander encounter with the same opponent on Sunday.
The Belgian scored the equaliser after a great pass from David Alaba, which was only his sixth goal in a Real Madrid shirt, and showed glimpses of his quality which may see Carlo Ancelotti throw him in from the start at the Bernabeu for the visit of the team from the province of Aliante.
The former Chelsea star has still only made 60 appearances for Los Blancos in two and a half seasons, but the player, and many others in Valdebabas, believe this could be a turning point.
Naturally, the 31-year-old forward has been the subject of much transfer speculation in this January window, but Hazard himself is determined to stay in Madrid and fight to prove himself, hoping that, finally, his injury problems are behind him and will allow him room to breathe.
The Belgium international has been available for selection since overcoming a stomach virus in late November, but in the four games after his return, he only tallied nine minutes of playing time and wasn’t used at all in the Supercopa de Espana triumph.
His absence from that competition surprised some and hurt the player, but his goal in Elche provided a much-needed boost and was well received by his teammates, amongst whom he is a popular figure. With Marco Asensio out, Hazard is very much in contention to start on Sunday as he looks to properly turn the corner.
