Belgium went back for a reunion in Lille on the weekend, only to then miss the Eurostar home. <a href=’fanatix://eventid/51c186d9034c7dfe27000067/’ class=’in-app-event-link’>Check in to Chelsea vs West Bromwich Albion</a>
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed that star man Eden Hazard was dropped for the west London club’s Uefa Champions League group-stage win over Schalke on Wednesday night, rather than being injured, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The coveted Belgium international has been a sensation since first arriving at Stamford Bridge from Ligue 1 outfit Lille last summer for a whopping £32m.
However, the wide man’s name was mysteriously absent from the Blues team sheet when they took on their Bundesliga opponents at home in Europe’s premier club competition, although Hazard’s absence was not felt as Chelsea strolled to an eventual 3-0 win.
But after the full-time whistle, the self-styled ‘Special One’ revealed that the 22-year-old had been axed from his starting lineup after missing training at Cobham on Monday morning, with Hazard having flown to Lille on Sunday in order to watch his former team beat AS Monaco in the league, only to then miss the Eurostar home on Monday morning.
The Portuguese did confirm though that the twinkle-toed playmaker would be back in the west Londoners’ first-team squad when they take on in-form West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League at the Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
“I don’t want to lie. He [Hazard] is not injured,” said Mourinho in his post-match press conference.
“I prefer to say that Willian and Andre Schurrle made fantastic work for us. We have a big squad, we have players with quality, players who sometimes are frustrated because they are not first options but when they are chosen they do so well.
“We know his talent, he will be on the bench or playing, but he will be in the squad for sure.
“He forgot the time. That’s the end of story. He’s a kid. Kids make mistakes and fathers have to be clever in the way that they educate their sons.
“He didn’t play. He wanted to play. He was sad because he didn’t play. We won without him.
“On Saturday, he is back. So, end of story.”