Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud: 'I have good understanding with Eden Hazard'

Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud has admitted that he wants to continue working alongside teammate Eden Hazard for as long as possible.

The future of Hazard is currently uncertain, with the Belgian playmaker having just over two years remaining on his contract and reports frequently linking the winger with Real Madrid.

However, ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final with Manchester United, Giroud has talked up working with Hazard, suggesting that their partnership can only improve in the future.

The 31-year-old told the London Evening Standard: "I want to carry on working on our partnership. The two of us have only been playing together a short time but we have a good relationship on the field. We play close together because that's what the manager wants us to do.

"Obviously when we are in the same areas on the pitch we can find ourselves much better. We like to play together because we have a good understanding, we have different qualities that complement each other. It is easy to play with him.

"Eden and I are good friends off the pitch as well. He is a nice person, he is easy to get along with. I knew him before I came to Chelsea."

Both players are expected to feature in the starting lineup for the showdown at Wembley Stadium.