LONDON: Frank Lampard, the manager of English professional football club Chelsea, reckons that Eden Hazard is someone who is irreplaceable as the Belgian midfielder is at the peak of his career now.
Leaving Chelsea after it won the Europa League earlier this year, 28-year-old Belgium skipper Hazard had recently joined Spanish giants Real Madrid on a five-year term for an undisclosed amount.
"You cannot replace him individually, I think it's pretty much impossible because of the high, high level he is at now in his career," Lampard was quoted as saying by Goal.com.
"I was a huge fan of Eden Hazard as a Chelsea fan, I played with him. For me, he is clearly one of the best players in world football, not just in the last season, but over his time at Chelsea he was the most productive player in the team generally, in terms of assists and goals and a leader," Lampard added.
In his 352 appearances for Chelsea, Hazard, who was named 'Player of the Year' four times for the club, scored 110 goals. In his seven seasons at Chelsea, Hazard had won a number of tournaments, including the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
Chelsea will take on Liverpool in the Super Cup final in Istanbul later on Wednesday.