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Eden Hazard and Casemiro tested positive for coronavirus, Real Madrid announced.
The pair will miss the Madrid La Liga match in Valencia on Sunday and next week’s international matches for their respective countries Belgium and Brazil.
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“Our players Casemiro and Hazard tested positive for COVID-19 carried out yesterday Friday morning,” the club said in a statement. The rest of the players and coaching staff of the first team, as well as the club employees who work directly with them, tested negative in the same tests carried out yesterday.
In addition, we confirm that all, except Casemiro and Hazard, have returned negative in the tests carried out this morning ”.
In his press conference prior to the game against Valencia, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said: “They are fine, although they are not happy with what has happened. In terms of moral and physical, they are fine. They are not.” . I have many symptoms. I left you a message and I’ll talk to you later. It can happen, you have to accept it.
“It happens. It could be worse. We have to accept it and move on as a team. The strength is in the group. There are worse things, people are going through worse things. But yes, it is a bit unsettling because the training was very different today. “.
Hazard had returned from injury in recent weeks, making his first appearance of the season as a substitute for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on October 27 before scoring his first goal in more than a year against Huesca in La Liga on Last weekend.
The forward endured a stoppage and injury debut season at Real Madrid, missing much of the campaign after sustaining a broken ankle in November and again in February.
After a successful return to this club, he had been called up by Belgian coach Roberto Martínez for his next matches against Switzerland, England and Denmark.
“He is strong, he knows it is a delicate moment, but his morale is good and that is the most important thing,” said Zidane.
Casemiro was supposed to play for Brazil in their World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay.
Hazard and Casemiro are the highest-profile Real Madrid players to date to test positive for COVID-19.
The two started in Madrid’s 3-2 Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Defender Eder Militao missed that game after testing positive last Sunday.
The club’s B team, Real Madrid Castilla, had a game postponed last weekend after three players tested positive and another yielded an inconclusive result.
Players from team B are sometimes called upon to train with the first team, as well as to join the teams of the day when necessary.
Meanwhile, Zidane has supported Isco in turning his situation around Madrid amid reports of Everton’s interest in the midfielder.
The 28-year-old has not started in Madrid’s last five games and was an unused substitute against Inter. In his most recent appearance in the starting eleven, Zidane dragged him at halftime in a 1-0 La Liga loss to Cádiz on October 17.
“Isco has to keep working. It’s not Isco’s problem, it’s the coach’s problem,” Zidane said. “I will not hide that he has not played much, it is true that lately I have not chosen him. It is a difficult moment for him, but he has had good ones. There are many games.”
The midfielder has been linked to a reunion with former coach Carlo Ancelotti – and former teammate James Rodriguez – at Goodison Park, and Ancelotti described him as a “fantastic player” earlier this week.
“The coaches have to choose,” Zidane said. “It doesn’t change what I think of him. I hope he continues to work as he has done so far because he will get his chance.”
