Cole and Hazard were team-mates at Stamford Bridge for two years until the former England defender’s departure in 2014, and has watched the Belgian turn into a club icon over his time in west London.

Speaking on Sky Sports after Sunday’s match at Liverpool in which Hazard was a lively figure and could have found the net, Cole said: ‘He was brilliant, the way he [gets] players involved in the game and the chances he had. They have to keep him.‘I don’t see why he’d want to leave, the club loves him, he loves the club.‘I hope he stays and I think he will stay to be honest. I know how much he adores the club, and everyone loves him. I think he should stay.’