Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink has explained that keeping Eden Hazard fresh was the reason behind naming the Belgian on the bench in the goalless draw with Watford last night.

The winger came on as a 73rd minute substitute in place of Nemanja Matic at Vicarage Road, with Hazard making a similar appearance from the bench in the 1-0 Premier League win over Arsenal on 24th January.




However, the 25-year-old, who was twice sidelined through injuries in recent times, started and scored his first goal of the season in the 5-1 win over MK Dons in the FA Cup at the weekend; although he was taken off in the 64th minute.

And Hiddink insisted that Chelsea are against the idea of overburdening Hazard, with games coming thick and fast now.
 


“Eden played in the FA Cup for a longer period”, the Dutchman told the club’s official site.

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“He is coming back from a difficult time with two injuries. We are being careful with him as we have a lot of games coming up now.

“I am happy with the way he played when he came on. The judgement is when to bring him on. We were in control and then we tried to get him to make the final punch which we almost did.

“For himself it’s good to go step by step and we have a lot of games coming up when we need all the players.”

Hazard, who has struggled for consistency in the present campaign, has made 30 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring once and providing five assists.