Fit-again Eden Hazard has got a smile back on his face again and is happy to remain at Chelsea.
The 25-year-old forward has had a dreadful campaign at Stamford Bridge having being named double player of the year at the club last term.
A combination of injury lay-offs and poor form meant that his double salvo at Bournemouth on Saturday were his first Premier League goals of the season.
Almost a year had gone by since Hazard’s name appeared on a scoresheet in the English top-flight and he appeared in a bad place as the team struggled under Jose Mourinho.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were waiting in the wings as Hazard was continually linked with summer transfer swoops for the fading Blues star.
But that star rose once more at Dean Court at the weekend in that superb 4-1 win for Chelsea over Eddie Howe’s Cherries, with Hazard expressing his relief to have bagged a brace.
Suggestions are that Hazard’s personal meeting with incoming Chelsea chief Antonio Conte went smoothly and he is now focused on rebuilding his career at the Bridge.
Current incumbent, interim boss Guus Hiddink, acknowledges this has been a disastrous 12 months for Hazard but is forecasting a positive outlook for the Belgian.
“He had a very bad season,” Hiddink explained. “We cannot neglect and I do not like to neglect the facts. That’s difficult for a talented, high-quality player like Hazard.
Chelsea's victory at Bournemouth in pictures:
“He has some more years to go. What I know is that he’s very happy with everyone around Chelsea so he is very important if he is fit.
“First of all he needs to be fit and the physios and coaches are working with him on that. I wanted him to participate in team training whenever he could.
“What is important is not that I just talk to him but the response of the player. I saw him more light and more fresh and we was enjoying it and making jokes.
“He was free of any doubts when he was playing so that was a good sign for me that he could go on.
“He’s not fully fit but through these games you get your game fitness. Now in these upcoming games he will regain physical fitness and the mental aspect will follow.
“ This has been a very difficult season for him with injuries, playing half a game and falling back into injuries and it is frustrating.
“We gave him a bit of time and said once you are back, you have to be be back well, and he showed that. When he’s fit physically and mentally then he’s one of the best.
“Every attacker who is not scoring frequently will be thinking about needing to be on the scoresheet.
“People might say he has contributed assists but strikers desperately want to score and this gives him a boost for the last games.”
Hiddink will be leaving the job next month as Conte prepares to lead the club into a new era and attempts to regain the Premier League crown.
Where that crown resides in 2016-17 is yet to be determined as Leicester City look to hold off the threat of Tottenham to clinch the title.
Chelsea fans made their disgust at the prospect of Spurs securing the silverware clear on the south coast and Hiddink has listened to their demands.
“I’m enjoying it very much but we are desperate, in the good sense of the word, to get this season done for Chelsea,” he added.
“I think after a season of winning the championship you always get a little bit of a setback, but the setback was too long.
“When you are champion you still have this head full of a little bit of champagne, literally and also figuratively, and you get a wake-up call in September normally.
“They couldn’t overcome that but we’ve seen today that we have quality players.
“The feelings about that [making sure Tottenham don’t win the title] are very strong, I have noticed!”
