ZINEDINE ZIDANE has leapt to the defence of Eden Hazard following his dismal start at Real Madrid.

Hazard spent over a year trying to engineer a move from Chelsea to the Bernabeu with the hope of shining in Spain and cementing his place as one of the world's best players.

But since finally making his £150million move to Real, the 28-year-old has failed to deliver anything like the performances he had hoped.

And now some fans have started to turn on him, questioning whether the Belgium star is good enough to warrant a place in the side.

But Real boss Zidane said: "I know (Hazard) is going to succeed here.

"I'm not going to give him any advice on how to play. He knows what we want from him and we know the player he is.

"We all have to remain calm, I'm not worried at all.

"He needs more time, we have to be calm with the players who have just arrived."

Hazard saw his start to the season hampered by a thigh injury which forced him to miss the first few games, and since his return to action admits he is struggling to find his best form.

The forward said: "It is true that the people expect a lot from me, I also expect it.

"Personally I can do better. There will always be criticism, I am with myself. To be a galactic and be the best in the world I have to prove it."

In the four appearances he has made in La Liga and the Champions League, he has failed to score a goal or even be credited with an assist – and has a ratio of taking just one shot per game.

That is a far cry from the levels he produced at Chelsea in his final season, when his 21 goals  and 17 assists made it his most fruitful campaign at Stamford Bridge.

But ahead of tonight's European game against Belgian side Bruges, Zidane asked for patience and pointed to his own struggles adapting to playing for Real when he moved from Juventus.

He added: "The same thing happened to me, yes.

"This is why I'm very calm, I knew things would work out for me in time and it's the same with Hazard.

"He's going to be fine and fans have to back him."Fans sum up Eden Hazard’s Real Madrid career with hilarious memes after ex-Chelsea star’s ‘disasterclass’ against Atletico

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