Chelsea can win the Premier League, but only if they keep Eden Hazard in top form, says Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea will win the Premier League title this year if Eden Hazard maintains his early-season form and would “love” to work with the Belgian again at Manchester United.

Hazard, the outstanding player of the top-flight campaign so far, was named the PFA’s Player of the Year in Chelsea’s title-winning 2014-15 season under Mourinho and revealed last week that of all his former managers, he would most like to be reunited with the Portuguese.

Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off and would like to be able to call Hazard one of his players again, though admits little to no chance of Chelsea selling to Manchester United.

The United manager still has fond memories of his and Hazard’s achievements together three years ago, though, and believes that if the Belgian is at his best this season, the title will be heading to west London.

“History says that when Eden Hazard is the best player of the Premier League, Chelsea is the champion,” Mourinho said on Friday, at his pre-match press conference to preview United’s trip.

“It happened with me and Antonio [Conte, in 2017] and this season, it is still the beginning of course, but if he is the best player of the Premier League until now, which I think he is until now, Chelsea is top of the league because he is the kind of player who can make a huge difference.”

Hazard has enjoyed a remarkable start to new Premier League campaign, scoring seven in Chelsea’s eight outings under Maurizio Sarri thus far, but speculation linking the Belgian with Real Madrid persists.

After the victory at Southampton before the recent international break, Hazard admitted he is torn between his “dream” of playing for Madrid and his loyalty to Chelsea.

Then, after Belgium’s victory over Switzerland last Friday, Hazard said: “If I’m now asked one coach with whom I want to work again, then I say: ‘Mourinho’.”

When Hazard’s remarks were put to the United manager, he said: “I would love to have him in Manchester United but I don’t think Chelsea will sell him to Manchester United so it’s a non-problem.

“Chelsea is led by intelligent and experienced people in football and they would never sell Eden to Manchester United so it’s a non-point to comment.”

Mourinho added: “I think he is a nice kid. We had a good relation we were champions together he was for the first time the best player in the league with me so I think the feelings are good.

“When the feelings are good you say nice things when feelings are not good you don’t say so much nice things.”