Eden Hazard Announces Successful Ankle Surgery in Twitter Post

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has announced the surgery undertaken on his broken ankle was a success after suffering the injury on international duty with Belgium.

Hazard posted an encouraging message on Twitter on Monday evening, with the Blues confirming the player will return to training in "approximately" three months as he recovers:

The 26-year-old was a critical figure en route to Chelsea's 2016-17 Premier League title win, and manager Antonio Conte will be looking to have him back to his best ahead of the new season.

That being said, Hazard could still be a doubt to make it back in time for the return of competitive club football in August based on the estimations provided by Belgian football reporter Kristof Terreur:

Chelsea may yet hold out hope of Hazard making a fast recovery so that his preparations are already underway by the time the Premier League season kicks off.

As shown by Squawka, he would be a major loss for Chelsea ahead of their title defence season, having helped feed star striker Diego Costa with a consistent supply of ammunition:

In his absence, Conte will be looking to the likes of Willian, Pedro, Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso to help provide cover from the flanks, although none of those players arguably have the same potency as their injured comrade.

Conte's three-man defence means Chelsea now rely heavily on their wings, and any other injuries in those areas will mean the team's tactics could start to become hampered.

While that may be the case, Conte may also count his blessings that the injury occurred before the summer transfer window has even opened, giving him plenty of time to go about seeking reinforcements should he desire them.

Hazard's injury is also a big blow for Belgium, who face Estonia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Friday and are scheduled to play Gibraltar in the same competition on August 31.