Thursday, 20th November, 2014
Former Belgian international Eric Gerets feels that Eden Hazard should be afforded the time and patience to thrive for his country.
Though Hazard has earned plaudits for his performances at Chelsea, the Belgian has not scored for his national side for nine consecutive games.
His lean patch included the World Cup where Hazard failed to score in Belgium’s run to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
And the Chelsea star's performances for the Red Devils have drawn sharp criticism from some quarters. Gerets though feels Hazard deserves some time to get his act together for his country.
“Disappointment is too strong”, the 60-year-old told Reuters when asked whether Hazard has been disappointing for Belgium.
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“Even [Lionel] Messi needed a lot of time before he was the saviour of the national team. It didn’t happen for several years.
“You have to give Hazard more time. It will come. He has too much talent.”
While he has scored 35 goals in 128 appearances for Chelsea, Hazard has hit the back of the net only six times in 54 caps for Belgium.
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