CARLO ANCELOTTI and Toni Kroos took a swipe at Eden Hazard when asked about his lack of game time.
The winger has managed only seven appearances this season, having struggled with injuries last campaign.
Hazard has been benched for Madrid's last five league matches and has not earned the right to play in the eyes of his manager.
Ancelotti told Eleven Belgium: "I'm not here to give each player minutes, I'm here to win games.
"I put the best starting eleven to win games. I don't look at how much a player earns or his age, it’s just about performances."
Hazard, 32, swapped Chelsea for Madrid in 2018 in a deal totalling £130million.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Win a VW Campervan plus £1,000 or £40k cash from 89p with our discount code
Champions League winner is totally unrecognisable 25 years after winning trophy
But he has failed to hit the same heights in Spain, managing just seven goals in 73 games over the course of five seasons.
His poor run of form has led to speculation he could even seek a move away, with the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle previously linked.
Team-mate Kroos joined Ancelotti in refusing to show sympathy for the out-of-favour forward.
He told AS Diario: "Compassion is out of place in football. I don’t think Eden has a bad life.
Most read in Football
FA Cup semi-final draw revealed as Man Utd and Man City learn Wembley opponents
Arsenal legends Vieira and Henry battling it out for huge international job
Bruce eyeing management return after West Brom axe.. and will hire son Alex
Chelsea 'hold talks' with Premier League rival for FOUR YEAR stadium share
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
"You can pity people who are clearly going through it worse. It’s not about money, I just haven’t felt sorry for anyone in football.
"Of course, the situation has been difficult for a long time, but at the end of the day, everyone is to some extent responsible for their own situation.
"That’s why I think pity is out of place. I know Eden very well, we talk often, but I only pity people who are in very bad situations and Eden is not one of them."
Source: Read Full Article