Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has conceded that it will be nigh on impossible to find a suitable replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Frenchman has identified Chelsea’s Eden Hazard as his No 1 target for the summer window but doesn’t believe even the Belgian star can fill the void Ronaldo left when he joined Juventus last year.
Ronaldo’s exit has had a significant impact on Madrid with the Spanish giants 13 points behind their arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga and set to end the season trophyless.
Madrid have made it no secret that Hazard is the man they want and they are growing increasingly confident he will join them and add the attacking spark their team have been deprived of since losing Ronaldo.
The Chelsea man has enjoyed another stellar campaign, scoring 19 times and registering 12 assists in all competitions, but Zidane is still unsure he will able to fill Ronaldo’s boots.
‘The problem is that Cristiano [Ronaldo] cannot be replaced,’ the Madrid boss said.
‘He is gone, but we can bring any player and the player who comes will not do the same as Cristiano.’
The Portuguese star was the figurehead of the Madrid side that lifted three successive Champions League and regularly topped the scoring charts.
He scored an astonishing 450 goals for the club in 438 games during his nine-year stint in the Spanish capital and is spearheading Juventus’ assault on the Champions League this season.