Eden Hazard to undergo ankle surgery

Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard is set to undergo surgery on his ankle in the United States on Thursday.

According to reports the decision was arrived at by Real Madrid and the Belgium national team as they thought it was the best option for the player.

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It was earlier feared that Hazard would be out for the entire season but the Belgian national team head coach Roberto Martinez said last week that he expected the player to be back in action before the end of the season.

The Real Madrid playmaker suffered a fracture to his ankle during Madrid’s surprise defeat to Levante last month and was absent for last week’s Champions League 2-1 first-leg defeat to Manchester City at the Bernabeu.

But Madrid did just fine without the services of the player when they saw off arch-rivals Barcelona in the El Clasico on Sunday to reclaim top spot.

Hazard will be hoping that he can return to full fitness ahead of this summer’s European Championships, where he is expected to captain Belgium.

Hazard, who joined Real from Chelsea for £88.5m last summer, has endured a difficult first season in Spain with injuries, scoring only once in 15 appearances.