Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard says he is “caught in a spiral” and only game time with the European champions can lift him out of it. The 32-year-old has not played a minute for Madrid in La Liga or the Champions League since the World Cup. Signed from Chelsea in a blockbuster deal in 2019, he has a year left on his contract.

“The only thing that can lift me out of this spiral is game time and even then I know I won’t be scoring five goals in my first game. I don’t speak with the coach,” the player conceded of his relations with Carlo Ancelotti when interviewed on Belgian television.