Zinedine Zidane has admitted Real Madrid are having to plan without Eden Hazard because of the Belgian star's ongoing injury problems.
The former Chelsea attacker moved to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth £88million but fitness problems have seen him struggle to cement himself as a key player.
Hazard has made just 36 appearances across all competitions in nearly two full seasons for the Spanish giants and is currently sidelined with yet another injury problem.
He is not expected to return to action for Los Blancos until mid-April and has already missed a huge name of games over the course of the season due to injuries and contracting coronavirus.
The former Chelsea talisman is expected to miss Madrid's crucial fixtures at the start of April, including a Champions League double header with Liverpool and El Clasico with Barcelona.
Speaking ahead of his side's return to LaLiga action against Eibar on Saturday, Zidane once again cut a frustrated figure and said Real cannot plan with Hazard in the team.
The Frenchman said: 'We do not have a plan with Hazard.
'We are not going to force anything. We work little by little. I can't tell you when I see him.
'If it's in three days, better. If it's in 10 days, well okay...'.
A source of frustration with Hazard's injury woes is that he has been unable to piece together a strong run of games.
Hazard came on for 15 minutes against Elche on March 13 but then suffered another muscle injury, which also ruled him out of the international break with Belgium.
He also made five consecutive appearances in late December and January but then spent six games out with another muscle problem.
Reports in Marca after his latest set back claimed Hazard could go under the knife in the coming weeks in an attempt to fix his problems once and for all, but that could mean him missing the entirety of the season as well as this summer's rescheduled Euros with Belgium.
It has been claimed that Hazard is so fed up with his constant problems that surgery is now seen as a viable option to permanently rid himself of the ankle issues he has been experiencing.
Hazard has reportedly not felt comfortable at all since he last underwent surgery, with persistent pains in his ankle when he runs.
He last had surgery in Dallas in March 2020 after suffering a serious injury the previous November against PSG, and it now appears a year on he could go back under the knife once more.