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Former Dutch star Johan Boskamp has suggested Real Madrid should loan Eden Hazard to Aston Villa this month, just to ensure he gets regular playing time.

Hazard is out of the picture at the Etihad, with a series of injuries since his arrival from Chelsea, meaning he has been nowhere near the player he was at Stamford Bridge.

He’s been firmly supplanted by Vinicius Junior this season, with the Brazilian estabslihing himself as the star of the show under Carlo Ancelotti and finally living up to his potential.

It means Hazard faces a struggle to get into the team when fit, which has led to rumours regarding a potential exit this month.

The forward needs to be playing regularly if he is to have any chance of being a part of Belgium’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

A move this month would make sense as it would give him six extra months to get fit and playing regularly, as opposed to a transfer in the summer transfer window.

Finding a club for him is a difficult task given his recent injury record, but Boskamp believes someone like Aston Villa would be ideal.

“I really hope he changes clubs this winter,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.

“Then maybe he can play 25 games in the next few months. Because if he stays at Real, I don’t think he will play many more games this season.

“And then the World Cup is coming up. It’s a tricky situation. I don’t dare say Chelsea are the answer.

“Eden plays better in a team that has the ball. So I don’t know if he fits into coach Thomas Tuchel’s plans. He has also brought back Lukaku, and that is not going well either.

“They could also loan Eden to Aston Villa or another club. It doesn’t matter where; he just has to play. That’s the most important thing.”