Chelsea midfielder Saul Niguez has pinned Eden Hazard 's Real Madrid woes on the differences between Premier League and La Liga football.
Hazard, 31, left Stamford Bridge to join Los Blancos in June 2019 for a total fee which could exceed £150million.
The Belgian was regarded as one of the best players in the world throughout his time in West London but his spell in the Spanish capital has been nothing short of a nightmare.
He has only managed a paltry six goals and 10 assists in 61 appearances for Real Madrid, with numerous injuries exacerbating his poor form.
This season, Hazard has scored once in 18 games and he was linked with a move away during the January transfer window amid reported interest from Newcastle.
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His struggles do not come as a surprise to Saul, who leapt to his defence by insisting Spanish football is a "totally different game" to the English top-flight
Quizzed on the contrasts between the Premier League and La Liga, the 27-year-old told Chelsea’s official website : "They are totally different.
"Over there, it’s much more tactical, whereas here it’s more physical and a bit crazier. There’s more back and forth, it’s less about having control of the game and more about entertaining the fans. You can do things here that you really can’t do in La Liga.
"For example, I was talking to my friends the other day about Eden Hazard.
"When he was here, he was easily one of the best players in the world and then he goes to La Liga and has his own difficulties because it’s a totally different game.
"Here he had more one-vs-ones and two-vs-ones but in La Liga, because everyone knows how good his team is and how good he is, other teams make it much more difficult for him.
"Here it’s happening a bit in reverse, although I think it’s a bit easier to adapt from La Liga to the Premier League than from the Premier League to La Liga."
Although Saul believes it is "easier to adapt" to the Premier League, the on-loan Atletico Madrid man has only played a minor role for Thomas Tuchel's side this season.
The Spain international has started just two games in the top flight and the majority of his minutes have come in the domestic cup competitions.
Hazard, meanwhile, has struggled with injuries but opened his account for the season in late January with an extra-time winner to fire Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, where they will face Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.
