Chelsea ace Eden Hazard has urged fans to be patient with him as he returns from long-term injury.

The Belgian winger only made his first Premier League start of the season in Chelsea's home clash with Manchester City before the international break, which the champions lost 1-0, after impressing against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League three days earlier.

The 26-year-old, who has been shortlisted for the 2017 Ballon d'Or award, has downplayed Chelsea supporters' expectations this season saying that his main priority remains getting game time and slowly re-discovering the kind of form that saw him help the west London club win the Premier League title last term.

"I don't know, I will see at the end of the season. I missed football for three months [and] it's not easy to come back after a big injury but I did," Hazard said.

"I worked out during the summer. I just want to play football. I will miss some games, I will play bad for some games. I just want to play football and try to bring the best of me."