At a time when Jose Mourinho is receiving criticism from across the board, the Portuguese boss received support from an unlikely source. The man to come out and publicly defend the under-fire manager was none other than Eden Hazard, the player whom he had reportedly fallen out with in the build-up to his Chelsea sacking.
Only seven months after winning the title in his second spell with the Blues, the Special One was axed after their horrendous title defense. Results went against them and the London giant failed to qualify for any European football that year, but Hazard argues Jose was not to blame for the downfall.
Speaking to HLN, the 27-year-old in fact shouldered most of the blame for the occurrences that led to Mourinho's departure. In the words of the Belgian superstar, his failure to stay in shape the summer before was the catalyst for Chelsea's collapse in 2015/16.
"In 12 years I've only had one bad season, the last 6 months under Mourinho and it was partly my own fault," Eden said.
"After the title, we asked Mourinho for extra holidays. I came back totally out of shape.
"The last season under Mourinho was not enjoyable. We didn't win, we got into a sort of routine, training without having fun, it was better for all parties that we parted ways.
"But if I'm asked now about one coach with whom I want to work again, I would say Mourinho.
"I sent him a message to say I was sorry he had gone and that I was sorry. We'd enjoyed all that success together, but this time we hadn't.
"I felt a little bit guilty because I'd been player of the year. I'd been one of the most decisive players, and then I performed less.
"I don't regret many things in my career, but that I have not been able to work with Mourinho at Chelsea anymore is one of them.
"We had a team that could win more trophies. We just ended up in a negative cycle."
Mourinho has come under heavy fire in his third season at Old Trafford. Some have called for the 55-year-old to be sacked, as his Red Devils side struggle to play attractive football.
However, Hazard refuted claims that Jose is a defensive-minded boss, citing their Premier League win in 2014/15 as proof that Mourinho can play attacking football. However, only an upturn in fortunes will help the Man United boss in these difficult times.
