Belgium vs Italy preview: Eden Hazard insists he 'never wanted to see Jose Mourinho fired' from Chelsea

Eden Hazard leads Belgium into their opening group game of the European Championship tonight determined to put a fractious season at Chelsea behind him.

Hazard, captaining Belgium against Italy in the absence of Vincent Kompany, admitted he had not played well for Chelsea last season but denied he was part of the dressing-room clique that had forced Jose Mourinho out of Stamford Bridge.

“People can say what they want about my relationship with him,” Hazard said in an interview in the French sports daily L’Equipe. “The difficulties I had with him came at a time when I was not playing well.

“But, deep down, I never wanted to see Mourinho fired. We experienced some very beautiful things together in 2015. This year was less good, but I have recovered from that and I want to stay at Chelsea. I like London and I have a couple of years left on my contract.

“I haven’t had a good year; I have to be clear about that. My season was rubbish except in the last couple of months. When I was back to 100 per cent fitness, I was able to show what I was capable of. I like to think I will bring a freshness into the Euros and now that I am captain I am going to do my best to take responsibility.”

Belgium are one of the favourites to win the European Championship, a competition in which they reached the final in 1980. However, Hazard admitted that in Kompany’s absence, they lacked the solidity that saw them reach the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in Brazil.

“We have shown moments in which we have looked a very good team but there have been times when we have looked quite fragile and there are some doubts about the defence because we are missing Vincent Kompany," he said. "He is the boss of our defence, the man who organises everything. Maybe we won’t win Euro 2016 but we have a team of quality and desire.”