KDB the key man for Red Devils in France

Kevin De Bruyne has arguably usurped Eden Hazard as Belgium’s talisman for this summer’s European Championship in France.

Like De Bruyne before him, Hazard is finding that life is not always a bed of roses at Chelsea. The pin-up boy of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Blues team a year ago, Hazard has now suffered a spectacular collapse in his club form as Chelsea relinquished their crown with less than a whimper.

The creative force that was Hazard a year ago has all but disappeared from view, with the 25-year-old managing a mere eight goals in 43 appearances this season.

That is a remarkable drop off for a gifted player who scored 21 goals for club and country last term. His international colleague De Bruyne knows just what it is like to struggle at Stamford Bridge, having been cast aside by Mourinho four years ago.

De Bruyne was farmed out on loan to Werder Bremen before eventually making a permanent move to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

There, he would prove himself to be a top level performer and convince Manchester City to part with a club record fee to bring him back for a second bite at the Premier League.

This league season may not have been a huge success for the departing Manuel Pellegrini but De Bruyne has been a shining star in his first season at the Etihad Stadium.

A running total of 19 goals has marked the 24-year-old down as a player of enormous potential and one around whom the incoming Pep Guardiola will surely build his City team.

Both Hazard and De Bruyne contributed five goals apiece for Belgium in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign but it is the latter that looks set to be the key man in France.

De Bruyne has both momentum and form on his side, as well as the confidence of a player that is seeing his career on an upward trajectory.

Hazard on the other hand is in free-fall, struggling for form and seemingly unsure about his future. Marc Wilmots will be hoping both can shine in France, but right now it looks more likely that De Bruyne will be Belgium’s Euro 2016 go-to man.

Belgium are 2.00 to win Group E, where the face Italy, Republic of Ireland and Sweden. The Red Devils are 12.00 to win Euro 2016.