Eden Hazard injury rules him out of El Clasico, meaning fans denied chance to see Real Madrid ace play against Lionel Messi and Barcelona

Eden Hazard will miss the first Clasico of the season with an ankle injury.

The Belgium captain was forced off in the 68th minute of Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last week.

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On Thursday, : “Following tests carried out on our player, Eden Hazard, by Real Madrid's medical department, the development of the perimalleolar bruising in his right leg has seen him diagnosed with an incomplete external microfracture in the aforementioned area. His recovery will continue to be assessed.”

Hazard is set to miss between four to six weeks of action, which rules him out of Real Madrid’s clash with rivals Barcelona on December 18.

Spanish newspaper write that the player was pictured on crutches at a team dinner and, despite daily treatment at the Madrid training ground, his recovery has been far slower than was originally anticipated.

Barcelona lead Real at the top of LaLiga on goal difference, with both clubs on 31 points after 14 games.

The 2019/20 season’s first Clasico was supposed to take place on October 26, but the game was postponed due to civil unrest in the city, which saw the jailing of nine Catalan separatist leaders.

Hazard has endured a difficult start to his Real Madrid career, scoring and creating just one goal in LaLiga since joining in an initial £88million from Chelsea in the summer.

A thigh injury sustained in pre-season meant he had to wait until September to make his official debut for his new club.

And so far, Hazard has failed to show the form that he displayed in the Premier League with Chelsea over a seven-year period.