Jose Mourinho has taken something of a swipe at Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard.
The Belgian worked under the Portuguese at Chelsea and, after impressing in a title-winning season under him, he started the following campaign off the pace and disappointed, leading to Mourinho’s dismissal.
“An amazing player with awful training,” Mourinho said.
“He gets on the pitch every morning and he doesn’t work much. You can imagine what he could be if he was a top professional.”
Mourinho did, though, then go on to heap praise on the Belgian’s character.
“But he’s an incredible guy,” Mourinho said. “He’s an incredible family man, and it seems like he doesn’t belong to this generation of players.
“He’s a quiet guy who’s focused on his family, his children, his parents. He has a very quiet life.
“But when he gets onto the pitch in the morning he doesn’t do much work. What you see when he plays isn’t the reflection of a week’s work, but of his natural talent.”
Hazard has struggled since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea, and his ex-coach had high hopes when he made the move.
“He’s an incredible player and you can only imagine him if he was a top professional,” Mourinho said.
