Report: Real Madrid Star Eden Hazard to Have Leg Surgery in Dallas

Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard will reportedly have surgery to repair his broken fibula in Dallas. 

According to ESPN FC's Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland, the procedure will take place on Thursday or Friday. It's unclear whether the surgery will add to his recovery time, which was previously believed to be about two months.

HLN's Kristof Terreur also reported the news:

The former Chelsea star missed out on Sunday's 2-0 Clasico win over rivals Barcelona, continuing what has been a disappointing debut season in the Spanish capital.

He's been sidelined since suffering the injury in the 1-0 loss to Levante on February 22, his second appearance after returning from a previous injury stint.

Per the report, the decision to have surgery was mutually made between club and player, and the objective is to have Hazard make a complete recovery, rather than rush him back.

With just nine starts in La Liga so far, Hazard's first season with Real has not gone to plan:

The 29-year-old had been linked with Los Blancos for a long time, but he finally made the move to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu last summer.

Expectations were enormous after a final Premier League campaign in which he scored 16 goals and added 15 assists, dragging the Blues to third place. No other team-mate scored double-digit goals in the league.

But the injury bug hit early, ruining his pre-season and postponing his La Liga debut until the September 14 clash with Levante. He scored his first and only goal in the competition against Granada in October.

Bernat Armangue/Associated Press

Real lead La Liga by a single point following Sunday's win over Barcelona, courtesy of a league-leading defence that has conceded just 17 goals. In the UEFA Champions League, they're in danger of an early exit after a 2-1 home loss against Manchester City in the round of 16.

At this stage of the season, there's little use in rushing Hazard back into action. By the time he's fully recovered and fit to play, the campaign will likely be as good as over, and preparations for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament may already be under way.

Belgium will be among the favourites for the title if Hazard is at his best, but their chances of winning silverware will take a massive hit if their top attacking option doesn't recover in time.