Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said that he is "not worried" by rival teams targeting his key playmaker Eden Hazard during games.
The 26-year-old is the most fouled player in the Premier League since 2014, with 258 fouls committed on him in the last three seasons.
Conte's predecessor Jose Mourinho previously called upon referees to protect the Belgian during games, but the Italian thinks that Hazard has enough physical presence to cope with the challenges.
"Hazard is a type of player that is very difficult to stop," he told reporters this afternoon. "For this reason sometimes you try to stop him with a good or bad way.
"But I'm not worried about this because Eden is very strong physically and he's showed me that he is able to play in this league. This league is very strong physically.
"I think the referee must pay great attention and to try to get the players to have the respect of the opponent.
"Eden I think is showing great football but also he's showing great personality in the game. I think he's growing a lot also in this aspect. For him it's fantastic, not only for him but also for the team to see this."
Hazard has contributed 11 goals and four assists for his side in the Premier League this term.
Neil Wilkes
