Eden Hazard has appeared to back beleaguered Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri by insisting the Italian’s style of play is his favourite of all managers since moving to Stamford Bridge. Sarri is under increasing pressure to keep his job after his side lost six of their last 15 Premier League games and it has been reported that the club are considering Zinedine Zidane as a possible replacement.

Hazard, who has admitted on several occasions that Zidane is his idol, has worked under six different managers in seven seasons at Chelsea. The Belgium international has won League titles under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, as well as the Europa League during Rafael Benitez’s reign. But despite the club’s inconsistent form, the 28-year-old has compared Sarri favourably with Rudi Garcia, who guided his former club Lille to a French double in 2011.

“All the managers I’ve played for have given me something,” Hazard told the club’s official website. “From when I started with Claude Puel at Lille to now with Maurizio Sarri. “They all see football in different ways, which is why I’m the player I am. They have all given me important advice. Mourinho was special, but the way Sarri and Garcia like to play is more like my philosophy of football.”

Hazard is in contention to start for Chelsea against Malmo in the first leg of their Europa League tie in Sweden tomorrow. Sarri started the forward in just one of their group stage matches but may have a change of heart, with the Blues needing to bounce back quickly following their 6-0 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday.

Chelsea have lost all four of their away matches in 2019 without scoring a goal and Sarri has been made aware by the club that the Europa League should be taken seriously as a route into next season’s Champions League. Even though Chelsea have suffered a string of bad League results, they are still just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United and the club are believed to be prepared to stand by the former Napoli coach, who only joined last July, for the time being.

Talk of Zidane will put Sarri under even more scrutiny ahead of the Malmo fixture, although a club source suggested the former Real Madrid coach has not been discussed as a target yet. Zidane won the Champions League three seasons in a row at Real Madrid before deciding to leave the Bernabeu last summer to take a 12-month sabbatical.

It is believed he is learning English and has considered the prospect of working in the Premier League, even being linked with the Manchester United post earlier this season. But if Chelsea decide to make a move for Zidane, the former France international will take some convincing, especially if the club are not in the Champions League next term.

The 46-year-old is also bound to be approached by a number of Europe’s top clubs once he makes it clear he is prepared to return to football.