Eden Hazard has revealed he is having to take it easy in training at Chelsea to recover from the knocks he takes in matches.

The 26-year-old midfielder was seen limping towards the team coach following his side’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday.

Hazard had been on the receiving end of a number of strong tackles, including a bad challenge by Mohamed Salah early in the second half.

It is understood the Belgium international, who has been the most fouled player in the Premier League since 2014, returned to London with his legs covered in bruises.

He said: "Do I protect my legs in training? Yes, yes, yes! To be fair, in training I don’t give everything.

"When we have drills, some people go crazy, but I don’t want to be kicked in training. I try to have a break.

"We don’t have many breaks in the season, so I try in training to have more of a rest, and then in the games I give everything.

"Do I get a lot of bruises? Yes. Sometimes I’m feeling a lot. I get a lot of fouls, a lot on my ankle.

"When I’m on the pitch I do receive kicks, but that is part of football and I’m not complaining."

While Hazard is reluctant to moan about the behaviour of opponents, Standard Sport understands he is getting worried about how he is being singled out on the pitch.

Hazard fractured his ankle during a training session with Belgium in June and had to wait until September to start his first game of the campaign.

Hazard is only now starting to return to his best form, having scored six goals in his last eight appearances.

Liverpool struggled to contain Hazard throughout the first half but he was far more subdued after Salah’s tackle, from which he hobbled away in agony.

That incident came a week after Hazard was left visibly upset following referee Jonathan Moss’s decision to wave play on after Gareth Barry had landed his studs on his ankle during Chelsea’s 4-0 win at West Brom.

Coach Antonio Conte asked referees to give Hazard more protection earlier this year following the FA Cup win against Manchester United, who had Ander Herrera sent off after he was shown two yellow cards for fouls on the midfielder.

Hazard (left) said: "I do everything for my body when I’m at the training ground. I know my body is strong and I am working on that.

"It is important I do. I’m lucky to have good health, I take good care of my body the best I can."

Chelsea secured a creditable 1-1 draw at Liverpool, having returned from their Champions League clash in Baku - where they beat Qarabag - in the early hours of Thursday morning.

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However, the result allowed Manchester City, who won at Huddersfield Town yesterday, to extend their lead over the Blues to 11 points.

Hazard said: "It is a good point because when you are 1-0 down at Anfield, it is not easy to score. We should have scored more, but one point at Liverpool is satisfying.

"We changed the system, Danny Drinkwater was on the pitch and then we were a bit more defensive.

"The only player around me was Alvaro Morata, so if we wanted to win we had to do something together, just me and him.

"That’s why I tried to pass my opponent every time, and in the first half we did well. In the second half it was more complicated but we scored so I am happy."