With every inch Eden Hazard shifts towards Real Madrid, so the fear of Armageddon increases among Chelsea supporters who cannot contemplate the thought of losing him. But Sunday’s opponents, Liverpool, are the best possible proof that there can be life after the departure of a club’s star man.

Philippe Coutinho left Anfield for Barcelona in January 2018 and since then his old employers have reached a Champions League final, are fighting Manchester City for the Premier League title and have one foot in the semi-final of Europe’s biggest competition this term. In short, they have not looked back.

Liverpool learned their lesson the hard way, having previously struggled to cope with the losses of Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez, whereas selling Hazard would be relatively unchartered territory for Chelsea. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois manoeuvred his way to Real last summer, but, in the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea have never lost their best player against their will.

The biggest issue facing them is if and when they will have to serve Fifa’s two-window transfer ban and whether or not they would be able to spend Hazard’s transfer fee, which is likely to be between £85 million and £100 million. But, aside from looking towards the transfer market, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pointed to how a team can become obvious when they rely too heavily on one man.