Hazard injury 'could force him to miss next two games'

Chelsea face a difficult week after Eden Hazard suffered an injury against Manchester United and is a doubt for their next two games.

The 27-year-old injured his back in the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and may miss the match in the Europa League against Bate Borisov.

More concerning for Maurizio Sarri is that he could also be unavailable for the game against Burnley in the Premier League next Sunday.

READ MORE: Scholes helped teach Ronaldo how to become the best in the world, says Pjanic

READ MORE: Emery accepts criticism over Ramsey contract situation

READ MORE: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Former colleague Nemanja Matic and United full-back Ashley Young were both booked for fouls on the Belgian in Saturday’s match.

While he was able to complete the full game, he suffered from restricted movement the following day, and Chelsea may prefer to rest Hazard for the Europa League against relatively weak opponents.

However, with Alvaro Morata continuing to struggle for form in attack, they can ill-afford to do without Hazard’s goals as they attempt to stay close to Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the league table.

Sarri may turn to alternatives on Thursday, with Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley, and Pedro able to take a place in the side ahead of a busy run of games for the club.