Zinedine Zidane: Eden Hazard 'Ready to Play' for Real Madrid After Injury Layoff

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Eden Hazard is ready to make his return to action following an injury layoff.

Hazard fractured his ankle for Los Blancos in November in the 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. The spell on the sidelines has added to what has been a frustrating debut term at the Santiago Bernabeu for the winger.

However, Zidane confirmed on Saturday that the forward is ready to feature in Sunday's clash with Celta Vigo in La Liga, per Tom Webber of Goal:

"We all know how important Hazard is and that's why we signed him. He's a great player. We're very happy he's back with the group.

"He hasn't played for three months and it's not easy. It will also depend on the game and the rhythm but physically he's absolutely fit and available to be with us. We know how much he can help us. It was tough not having him for almost three months due to injury. He's also very happy to be back.

"It's true we have to take it easy, we should give him time, and that's what we did to make sure he's 100 per cent fit when he is back. He is ready to play tomorrow."

Per Alex Kirkland of The Spanish Football Podcast, the 29-year-old has been taking part in training ahead of the game:

Hazard arrived in the Spanish capital to much excitement in the summer, having cemented a reputation as one of the best players in the world during his time at Chelsea.

However, he's only been able to showcase flashes of his brilliance in the all-white of Madrid. The Belgium captain's start to the season was disrupted by injuries, and he missed the entire Christmas period because of the ankle issue.

As a result, he's only made 13 appearances for Madrid so far, netting just the solitary goal.

Manager Zinedine Zidane would have expected to lean a lot on Hazard's productivity this season, but he's benefitted from a number of different players chipping in throughout the campaign:

If Hazard can get up to speed again quickly, he will be a major asset to the Madrid side as they gear up for a crucial spell of the campaign.

Los Blancos start the La Liga weekend three points clear of rivals Barcelona at the top of the table. They also remain in contention for the UEFA Champions League, although they face a huge challenge in the last 16 of the competition when they take on Manchester City.