Eden Hazard
Hazard scoops PFA award as Chelsea close in on title Getty

Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has congratulated his friend Eden Hazard after the Chelsea star won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award ahead of his teammate David de Gea and Tottenham sensation Harry Kane.

Mata enjoyed a close relationship with the Belgium international during their time together at Stamford Bridge before the Spanish maestro decided to move to Old Trafford.

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And after Hazard won the vote over De Gea after leading the Blues to the Premier League leadership, having scored 13 goals and made eight assists, Mata hailed the United keeper's merits.

"I would like to congratulate my friend David de Gea for his inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year. It's a reward for his great season and a recognition to his skills. And I also congratulate my friend Eden Hazard, who was named Player of the Year," Mata wrote in his weekly blog.

Meanwhile, the Spanish star expressed his frustration at the 3-0 defeat against Everton on Sunday 26 April while urging his side to react in the last four games of the campaign.

"I know that you are very disappointed after yesterday's game. We do feel the same and I'm still sad as I write this, but the only thing we can do is to stick together and look ahead," Mata wrote.

"For a team like us such a big score is not easy to take, but we have to put it aside to face the next games... It is clear that the game against Everton was tough since the beginning after [James] McCarthy's goal. However, we tried to recover by creating some chances and playing on Everton's half of the pitch, but we couldn't find the way to turn around the score.

"They played their game very good, they were solid in defence and took almost every single chance they had to score. As I said before, we are in the final stage of the season and we must try to win each of the remaining games. The goal is to get four wins in the last four games of the Premier League."

At the same time Mata praised the current form of Javier Hernandez Chicharito at Real Madrid after the United loanee scored a brace during Los Blancos 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo just some days after his Champions League winner against Atletico Madrid.

"He is a good friend of mine and I'm happy that he is scoring goals in the last few games. He deserves every good thing that happens to him."