The former Chelsea players rank high in the quality of players the Egyptian has come up against
Aston Villa right-back Ahmed Elmohamady has mentioned former Chelsea stars Eden Hazard and Ashley Cole as the best players he has faced in the Premier League.
Hazard is considered one of the greatest players to feature for the Blues with his seven-year stay at Stamford Bridge fetching him 110 goals and 92 assisted in all competitions, before moving to Real Madrid for a club-record sale of £88.5 million last summer.
Cole meanwhile is regarded as one of the best full-backs of his time, making 338 appearances for Chelsea in a 12-year spell.
Both Hazard and Cole won a combined 16 titles in West London, including the Champions League in 2012 for the latter.
Elmohamady came up against both men while he was at Sunderland and Hull City.
“The best is Eden Hazard. He was one of the toughest and he is so talented,” the 91-time capped Egypt international told Skysports.
“He is one of the best in the world, really world-class, and going up against him was really tough because you didn’t know what he was going to do, and even when he did it was difficult to stop.
“And in terms of going up against a defender, Ashley Cole was the best. He was so difficult to get past and he’d be constantly on you, and he could attack too and get in behind.”
The Premier League has been on hold since March 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Villa occupy 19th spot after 28 games, two points from safety, and Elmohamady – who has been at Villa Park since 2017, asserts the Midlands outfit will be refreshed and ready to go whenever a return date for league fixtures is feasible.
“I do believe we can come back fresh and that this break was needed for us, ready to fight for the remaining games,” he continued.
“We do have a strong team spirit in the team. It’s something that has always been here and is created from the manager, staff and senior players downwards.”
32-year old Elmohamady has appeared 12 times in the Premier League this term, providing one assist.
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