PL coach willing to offer 'trial' to the recently retired Eden Hazard, believes the ex-Real Madrid man might reverse his retirement decision soon
A former Premier League player-turned-coach has revealed that he believes Eden Hazard will have a change of heart and decide against retiring. The Belgian great announced his decision to hang his boots on Tuesday, but Kevin Nolan believes that he will reverse his decision shortly.
West Ham United assistant manager Nolan spoke to talkSPORT after Hazard revealed his plan to retire from professional football aged 32. The former Bolton Wanderers player believes that the Belgian is too young to retire and is willing to have him at West Ham.
Nolan revealed that he does not mind offering a trial to Eden Hazard in the coming months, as he thinks the ex-Real Madrid man will return to playing.
"I'd have the Hazard of Chelsea at West Ham, yeah. I'm sure if he wanted to come and trial we'd, I mean, I'd certainly be willing to. I don't know about the gaffer [David Moyes]. But I'd certainly want to trial him! Some of the best years in the Premier League, he's been part of and some of the best goals."
The coach then added that he feels Hazard deciding to make a comeback wouldn't be a surprising development.
"It's sad that at 32, he's decided to bow out in all honesty because I believe someone of his calibre of play could play at the top level for plenty more years. I wouldn't be surprised if we got a little bit of a reverse on that in the next six months to a year."
Eden Hazard was available for a transfer earlier this summer but decided to retire after some deliberation. The Belgian revealed that he had to listen to his body and that was what caused him to stop playing.
Retirement U-turn unlikely for Eden Hazard
Throughout his time at Lille and Chelsea, Hazard was a player who played with a smile on his face. In his time at Real Madrid, however, his smile dissipated first through incessant injury problems, then through his fractious relationship with Carlo Ancelotti.
Hazard was released from his Real Madrid contract this summer after it became evident that the winger intended to fight for his place. There had been attempts to move him for at least a year prior, but he wanted to continue to play.
Before he was released, he had the chance to show his quality at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but was a shadow of himself. He struggled to impact games and was left on the bench until the closing stages of their must-win match against Croatia. It came as no surprise to see him retire from international football after the tournament.
Hazard had offers from the MLS and Saudi Arabia to continue his career this summer, but he declined all. He looks like he is done with football after nearly 14 years at the highest level.