Luka Modric is hoping that team-mate Eden Hazard can fire on all cylinders in his second season at Real Madrid after an underwhelming debut campaign.
The Belgian superstar joined Madrid from Chelsea last summer for a fee of €100 million, but his season was fractured by injuries as well as a failure to find the same form which won his so many plaudits in the Premier League.
He started just 14 La Liga matches for Madrid in 2019/20, scoring one goal.
Luka Modric, who won the Ballon d'Or a couple of years ago while playing for Los Blancos, has urged Hazard to refind his best form as he thinks Madrid will need it.
"Eden is a great guy and a special player, but he was playing with pain and when you're on the pitch, people always expect the best. They don't care if you have little problems," the Croatian told AFP.
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"I spoke to him and said, 'Eden maybe you need not to play now and recover because next season we need you at your best.
"This is a season where you're getting to know everything but next season you need to be 100 per cent because if not, it's going to be difficult'.
"Hopefully he comes back without any problems and then I'm sure he'll show his potential and why the club bought him because we will need him a lot."
Hazard is currently with the Belgian squad ahead of their Nations League matches against Denmark and Iceland, and the head coach of the national side Roberto Martinez says his star player will need to manage an ankle issue for pretty much the rest of his career.
“The ankle is fine, Hazard played without pain against City,” Martinez told reporters.
“He will need to control it his entire career, with treatments both before and after the games.”
Eden Hazard 
Luka Modrić 
Real Madrid 
Chelsea 
