Chelsea boss Antonio Conte won't rush Eden Hazard back from injury to benefit Alvaro Morata partnership

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has said he won't rush Eden Hazard back from injury ahead of the new season.

Hazard sustained an ankle fracture training with the Belgium national team in June and may not return to action until September.

It means it could be a while before the star gets to combine with Chelsea's record buy and new leader of the attack, Alvaro Morata.

In the circumstances, some managers might be tempted to speed up the 26-year-old's rehabilitation from a fractured ankle suffered last month. Not so Conte.

When asked to clarify that he will not push Hazard back too soon, he said: "This is the case for sure.

"Every single player must stay in the best of form (shape) to play otherwise you risk putting the player in a bad position and then that could cause damage for the team.

"It's difficult to tell you (what game he will be fit for) because when you arrive from an injury like the one with Eden's ankle, where he had surgery, it's not easy to programme the exact date for him to come back.

"But we hope he recovers very well. He is doing very well. We know how important these players are for us."

It is another reason, to go along with his frustration over a lack of business in the transfer window, that Conte agreed with the notion put to him that it could take a while before people see the best of Chelsea this forthcoming season.

If that occurs, some will feel a case of deja vu. After all it wasn't until October that Chelsea's title winning form got seriously under way last term.