Eden Hazard's latest Real Madrid snub has come as a shock to many, especially considering his slight signs of improvement prior to the Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Club.
Hazard, 31, had his future thrown up in the air during the January transfer window but a move failed to materialise, with Chelsea and Newcastle strongly linked with the Belgian.
The Blues legend appears to be enduring a frustrating period in his career, one littered with injuries and constant snubs from Zinedine Zidane and most recently Carlo Ancelotti, who didn't even consider bringing him on when his side needed to find the opener in Bilbao on Thursday night.
That decision in particular came as something of a surprise to Hazard himself, who had featured in the previous two games before and was the player who netted one of the goals in the previous round of the Copa del Rey against Elche.
Chelsea's iconic number 10 was seemingly mocked by former Spurs legend Gareth Bale just to add to the current predicament that can't be doing his international status any good in the eyes of Roberto Martinez.
Ancelotti himself has had a turbulent relationship with the winger in question during his second stint in the Real dugout, with the former Chelsea boss previously admitting that he was open to Hazard leaving in a previous interview but to then contradict that with his plea to stay to the wantaway Belgian international.
"Hazard is in our plans for the next season, I can confirm," Ancelotti clarified at the end of January.
This quote itself is of a complete juxtaposition to what Marca had to report on the matter when they stated Ancelotti doesn't view the 31-year-old as a vital pawn for his Madrid side.
And this is a lot more believable, as demonstrated with what happened in the most recent cup defeat for the Spanish giants.
Despite toiling at 0-0 for a large majority of the game, fresh legs and fresh ideas were needed from the subs bench but Ancelotti's decision to ignore Hazard ultimately fell on deaf ears as Alex Berenguer punished the out of sorts visitors for not taking advantage of their attacking wealth.
What was the reason for this though?
As per local Spanish outlet Cuatro, Ancelotti prefers the trio of Vinicius, Isco and Eduardo Camavinga over the big money signing who was expected to be the long-term answer to their woes.
But ultimately, after so much hype and expectation, just why has it not worked out in La Liga for a player who was regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League at the time he left?
Arguably, his injury setbacks can be viewed as part of the reason but as Saul Niguez alluded to in a recent interview, the adaptation process from England to Spain is not as easy as some people would assume.
"They are totally different. Over there, it is much more tactical, whereas here it is more physical and a bit crazier," the Atletico Madrid loanee explained in a recent interview with the Chelsea FC official website.
"There is more back and forth, it is less about having control of the game and more about entertaining the fans. You can do things here that you really cannot 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 is happening a bit in reverse, although I think it is a bit easier to adapt from La Liga to the Premier League than from the Premier League to La Liga."
With Kylian Mbappe poised to move to the Spanish capital in the summer on a free, it's been reported that Hazard may be moved on as part of the process as a way of freeing up more space on the wage bill.
That would present Chelsea and Tuchel a chance to drop their Ousmane Dembele obsession in favour for the proven Premier League winner who could provide the foundation in the expected attacking shake up in SW6.
Coupled with this hypothetical situation which is likely to become a distinct reality come the end of the season, Anthony Barry's coaching switch from Ireland to Belgium could go a long way in helping Hazard make the eventual and emotional decision to return to Stamford Bridge this summer.
