Chelsea boss Sarri baffled by Hazard exclusion from PFA Team of the Year after shock Pogba addition
The PFA Team of the Year list has caused a stir and the Blues manager has had his say
MAURIZIO SARRI has conceded he can't understand why Chelsea star Eden Hazard wasn't included in the PFA Team of the Year.
Hazard, 28, has been the Blues' main attacking threat once again this season, chipping in with 19 goals and supplying 13 assists in all competitions.
But his omission from the PFA Team of the Year caused a huge stir to the same extent that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba did after he was given the nod.
Pogba was the only non-Manchester City or Liverpool player to make the cut for the star studded line-up.
But Sarri, who is preparing his side for the trip to face Manchester United on Sunday, was
perplexed as to why Hazard was overlooked.
Sarri reckons the only possible explanation for Hazard's exclusion was down to the voting which naturally favoured the top two teams whereas the others weren't fancied.
HAZ EXPLANATION
He said: "I think that Eden deserved to be in the top XI of the Premier League.
"But I think, also, that at the moment the table is clear.
"There is City, there is Liverpool, and then the other teams.
";And so I think the vote was influenced by the table.”
Sarri wasn't alone in his thinking with Match of the Day host Gary Lineker also perplexed.
He said: "When you judge players and how good they are, the element of joy they bring to the game is very important.
"Hazard is probably the closest to Lionel Messi in style - low to the ground, strong, with an electric burst of pace - and I love watching him play."