It was the ultimate act of player power and yet nobody at Chelsea flinched after Eden Hazard revealed he would wait for the club to sign “good players” before deciding his future.

There are not many who could get away with challenging owner Roman Abramovich in such a way, but Hazard is undoubtedly a special case at Stamford Bridge.

He and Chelsea both know the club cannot afford to lose him. He is the stardust, the man the sponsors love, the player who can elevate the rest of the team to a different level – as he showed again in his 300th Blues appearance as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley.

It is why the fear that Hazard could look to leave Stamford Bridge if Antonio Conte stays for the final year of his contract is a major factor in a decision over the managerial situation that should now be made imminently.

If it is a choice between Conte and Hazard, then the Italian goes. And there would be more than a passing thought given to whether or not any potential successor would please the Belgian.