Eden Hazard breaks ankle in Belgium training, could miss start of next season

This is why we can’t have nice things. Figuring that the weekend of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus would be a slow weekend for Chelsea news, I headed off into the mountains and off the grid. Emerging 24 hours and many miles trekked later, what’s the first thing I see? Eden Hazard out for 6-8 weeks with a broken ankle.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Other reports are a bit more pessimistic on his prognosis, estimating up to three months out.

Hazard suffered the injury to his right ankle in training with the Belgium national team ahead of their matches against the Czech Republic and Estonia this week. He will undergo surgery shortly.

Fortunately, we’re just as the start of the summer, which gives Eden plenty of time to recover. A fractured ankle is never a good thing, but getting injured now is the least worst timing for it.

Two-three months out is not ideal in terms of pre-season preparations — Chelsea jet off to Asia in the middle of next month — nor is it ideal in terms of being ready for the start of next season. The new season of the Premier League starts August 12, which is 10 weeks, or a little over two months away. If Hazard’s recovery goes well, he probably will be ready to play from the start. But any delay, and we could be without his services for the first few games.

This is the first major injury of Hazard’s career, though he did have lingering and annoying hip issues a couple years ago and battled a hamstring injury at the end of his first season at Chelsea, which caused him to miss the Europa League final.

Get well, soon, Eden!