Eden Hazard is set to leave a significant void to fill when he leaves Chelsea, but David Luiz believes that Callum Hudson-Odoi is the man to do it.
Hazard scored twice in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final on Wednesday night and let the cat out of the bag when questioned about his future.
The Belgian is expected to join Real Madrid in the coming days, which will be a huge blow for the Blues after the 28-year-old’s seven years of superb service at Stamford Bridge.
However, Brazilian defender Luiz is not too concerned about Hazard’s departure, claiming his side have a number of players who can fill his boots, specifically 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi.
‘That’s either Messi or Ronaldo [who can replace Hazard],’ Luiz said after the win over Arsenal. ‘If he goes I just wish him all the best. He is a fantastic player, friend and guy.
‘I think we have many, many talents within the club who can replace him.
‘Callum [Hudson-Odoi] is great. Callum has known this club since he was young and he has the talents to one day try to be like Eden.
‘It didn’t start so well because of the injury but it is time for him to improve in other sides [of his game].’
The England international ruptured his Achilles tendon in April and faced as much as six months out of action as a result.
However, he is aiming for an earlier return is reportedly heading overseas for his rehab, aiming to be back in pre-season training by August.
Hudson-Odoi and fellow young English Chelsea star Ruben Loftus-Cheek are on the long-term injured list after Loftus-Cheek suffered the same injury as his team-mate.
Both had been in fine form in the build-up to the Europa League final and Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta paid tribute to both men ahead of the clash with Arsenal.
‘I think it is an extra motivation for us,’ said the Spaniard. ‘Both of them were very unfortunate with their injuries.
‘They were both in their best moment of the season, playing regularly and were important for the team. So it was a huge downer for all of us, including them.
‘All of us will take it as an extra motivation to win it for them because they have been very important to get us to Baku.’
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