Zinedine Zidane believes Real Madrid stars Eden Hazard and Vinicius Junior are INCOMPATIBLE

Zinedine Zidane has reportedly admitted he faces tough selection issues at Real Madrid by claiming he cannot play key forwards Eden Hazard and Vinicius Junior at the same time.

Hazard arrived in a huge £130million move from Chelsea last summer but has struggled with injuries and fitness during a poor first season at the Bernabeu.

However he has yet to even appear on the same pitch as Vinicius Junior amid Zidane’s apparent claims they are incompatible as reported on the front page of Spanish daily AS.

Eden Hazard (front) and Vinicius Junior (left) have yet to appear in the same Real Madrid team

Hazard’s injury concerns may be one reason why the duo have not played alongside each other yet with the Belgian limited to just 15 appearances in all competitions in campaign that has seen him miss over two months due to a fractured foot.

Yet Zidane may also have tactical reasons to separating the pair, with their similar style of play resulting in them not having little focus on playing a defensive role.

While this may be a crucial consideration when playing a team such as Barcelona or a Champions League encounter it is perhaps less of a concern when taking on some lower league opposition in LaLiga where both their creative outlets could be seen as beneficial.

The front page of AS on Saturday focused on the duo’s apparent incompatibility

Zinedine Zidane has not played the duo at the same time due to their similar playing style

It does not look like a gamble Zidane is willing to take as the season prepares to restart and come towards it conclusion.

Madrid are currently two points off the top of the table behind Barca with 11 games to play with LaLiga clear to resume from as early as June 8 after the prime minister’s announcement on Saturday.

The Bernabeu outfit also remain in the Champions League albeit trail Manchester City 2-1 following a first-leg defeat in the last-16 on home soil.