Mohamed Salah admits he remains aware of Eden Hazard’s talents as Liverpool prepare to do battle in the Champions League.
With a place in the semi-finals at stake, Liverpool and Salah are set to meet Spanish giants Real Madrid – where the Belgian captain Hazard has endured a difficult time.
Indeed, the 30-year-old has only scored three La Liga goals, in 20 starts, since completing a high-profile £89million move to the Spanish capital in 2019.
Injuries and a lack of form have been a constant issue for Hazard at Real, with the former Stamford Bridge favourite even hinting at a possible Chelsea return one day.
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For now, though, Hazard’s focus remains on helping the La Liga giants gun down Liverpool in a crunch repeat of the 2018 final which saw Salah stretchered off following an infamous tangle with Sergio Ramos.
Salah and Hazard were Chelsea teammates for 18 months between 2014 and 2016, before the Egyptian forward was moved on to Roma for £12million.
Speaking to Spanish publication Marca ahead of his reunion with Hazard, the 28-year-old said: “They’ve [Real] lost some great players, like Cristiano Ronaldo – the best in the club’s history, someone that scored so many goals.
“At the same time, they’ve signed [Eden] Hazard. Eden’s been unlucky, he’s been injured.
“I can’t pick one [main danger], the majority of them are great players. Hazard. I have a great relationship with him, he did very well at Chelsea, but he’s not getting any luck at the moment.”
Amid suggestions that Salah could be targeted by Real and La Liga rivals Barcelona this summer, former teammate Hazard has, previously, dropped a tantalising hint about his own future.
Indeed, shortly after completing his big-money move to the 13-time Champions League winners, the Belgian said: “I do my job here and then I come back. When I finish here I’ll come back.”
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Speaking more recently about his Madrid future, Hazard told on the Front Foot: “I’m just hoping to play football for as long as possible, and I always try to enjoy myself on the pitch.
“When it comes to the end of my career, I can maybe look back at my achievements, but my priority now is playing well and enjoying my football.
“I don’t think about where I will be in the next few years, I try to focus on the next match. I’ve only just turned 30 so, as long as my body feels good, hopefully, I can keep playing for at least another five or six years.”