Eden Hazard Diagnosed with Fractured Ankle Injury; Recovery Timeline Reported

Eden Hazard will reportedly be out for at least two months after Real Madrid confirmed he had fractured his ankle in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Levante.

On Sunday, Real released a statement that the Belgian "has been diagnosed with a fracture to his right distal fibula."

According to AS, he is expected to be out for more than eight weeks as a result.

It's a bitter blow for both the club and the player, who was only making his second appearance since returning from a microfracture in the same ankle after a 16-match absence.

The Athletic's Liam Twomey felt for the winger:

HLN's Kristof Terreur provided details of Hazard's injury history:

Real signed the 29-year-old from Chelsea last summer for an initial €100 million, and they could pay the Blues more than half that fee again in potential add-ons.

In light of his latest injury, James Yorke of Stats Bomb questioned the wisdom of their decision to recruit him:

Hazard suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season, which disrupted his preparations for the campaign and he missed the first three games of the season.

Perhaps as a result of that, he struggled to produce his best form early on. His performances were picking up, before he suffered the microfracture against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on November 26.

Overall, he has played 15 times for his new side, scoring once and registering five assists.

His latest injury will force him to miss a crucial stage of the season. Real play Manchester City in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, before facing Barcelona⁠—who moved two points ahead of them in La Liga following the defeat to Levante⁠—next Sunday.