Eden Hazard's persistent injury problems are "so sad" and "the months are disappearing for him", says former Real Madrid midfielder Michael Laudrup.

Hazard joined Real Madrid from Chelsea for a fee in excess of £150m in 2019, but has made just 22 appearances.

"I don't understand what's wrong, he had some injuries at Chelsea but never this much," said Laudrup.

The forward is yet to play this season and will miss Saturday's first El Clasico of the season.

The 29-year-old's latest setback is a muscular injury to his right leg and manager Zinedine Zidane said this week he faces another month on the sidelines.

"I've watched him so many times with Chelsea and Belgium and I really enjoy him because I think we lack these kinds of players in football nowadays, players who take the ball and players who go one-on-one or one-on-two," former Swansea manager Laudrup said in a special Clasico preview edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"We need them, otherwise we just play the ball around and who is going to do the special things?"

The Belgian scored 110 goals in 352 appearances for Chelsea during seven years at the club but has scored just one goal so far for Real Madrid.

"Every time you think he's back he plays a few games and then he's out again - I think it's so sad to see a great player like him and the weeks and months are just disappearing for him," added Laudrup, who joined Real Madrid from Barcelona in 1994.

"I hope he will come back but the problem is as you get older it's tougher to come back at the level you were before."