Real Madrid: Hazard arrival would uproot Vinicius

Eden Hazard's favoured position is on the left-hand side of the forward line - just where Vinicius has excelled for Real Madrid this season...

There is absolute confidence at Real Madrid that Eden Hazard will be the first through the door this summer: terms have been agreed with the Belgium forward, and all that remains is for Los Blancos to reach a deal with his club, Chelsea. However, one issue that still hasn't been considered at the Bernabéu - or, if it has, it is clearly viewed as a necessary evil - is that the signing of Hazard may well have a negative impact on the development of Vinicius.

Hazard and Vinicius both left-wing position

After all, the pair have the same preferred position, and it is the Brazilian starlet who seems all but certain to have to make way. Having only broken into the first team following Santiago Solari's appointment in place of Julen Lopetegui, the 18-year-old certainly grabbed his chance with the seniors once it arrived, scoring seven goals and supplying 13 assists in just over 2,000 minutes of playing time in what has been a fine first season at Madrid. However, his excellent performances have always come on the left.

Vincius central role at Leganés did not work out

Indeed, the one time Vinicius shifted inside to centre-forward, in the first half of Madrid's Copa del Rey last-16 second leg against Leganés in January, it was a disaster. Restored to his usual role after half time, he was then among his team's best players once more. The statistics show that he has featured on the left 94% of the time, while his appearances in the centre and on the right account for just 4% and 2% of his 2018/19 first-team action, respectively.

Meanwhile, although Hazard has operated in all three attacking positions, he is also at his most comfortable starting on the left. The 28-year-old has been on the left for 68% of his Chelsea appearances so far this term, compared to 16% as a false nine and 16% on the right. And when he's on Belgium duty, it's a positional tendency that is even more pronounced.

Zidane likely to give Hazard positional priority

All of which means that something of a problem is homing into view for Vinicius: it is to be expected that, if and when Hazard becomes a Madrid player, coach Zinedine Zidane will seek to accommodate the marquee signing to the detriment of the Brazil Under-20 international.