Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard has a different take on Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho who has been accused of restraining forwards in the past.
The two worked together at Chelsea in 2015 a season the Blues won the title with Hazard netting 23 Premier League goals which saw him earn PFA player of the year award. The Belgian international has revealed that Mourinho let him ‘do what he wanted in the last third’. The Special One praised Hazard as ‘one of the top three players in the world’ that season but the forward’s performances dramatically dipped in his final months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Having previously claimed that Hazard did not ‘sacrifice’ himself enough for the team, in not tracking back, Mourinho took aim at Hazard after he limped off in his final game in charge against Leicester in December 2015. Chelsea’s current boss Maurizio Sarri has also given Hazard a free role in the club.
“Sarri is a manager who likes to have the ball. That makes a big difference. Besides that, he’s an Italian. Just like under [Antonio] Conte there’s a lot of tactics and we have to work hard in training,” said Hazard.
“I don’t feel like saying that I didn’t have any freedom under my previous managers. Conte and [Jose] Mourinho also let me do what I wanted in the last third. That’s why I could excel under them too. Defensively I know what I have to do,” he added.
Hazard who netted the winner against Liverpool in the EFL Cup against Liverpool will once again lead his side against Jurgen Klopp’s men on Saturday as the two sides meet in the Premier League.