Jose Mourinho says he is "totally convinced" about Gareth Bale's ability and says the winger's limited role at Tottenham is down to a lack of match fitness.
Bale has made only four Premier League appearances in 2021, starting just once.
Despite the 31-year-old's struggles since his return to north London from Real Madrid, the Spurs coach is happy to have him in his squad and hopes he can play a bigger role this season.
What did Mourinho say about Bale?
“He doesn’t need to convince me of anything. I am totally convinced about everything," Mourinho said. "It’s not about convincing me, it’s about being ready to play the minutes we all would love him to play.
“It’s a process. You feel that in matches in the last couple of years. It’s the process. We want him of course to be ready to play every minute of every game.
“He is a player with special qualities, you could see against West Ham in the second 45 minutes the positive impact in the quality of the game. He had a cross, he had a couple of assists, he hit the crossbar.
“He is doing that better and better, but he is not playing 90 minutes, he is not playing every game. We have to manage his evolution, but he has nothing at all to convince me about.”
How has Bale performed at Spurs?
Bale has struggled with injuries since making the move back to Spurs on loan until the end of the season last September.
He has started just two of the eight Premier League games in which he has featured, but has found playing time easier to come by in the Europa League. The Wales international has started all seven of their games in the European competition and scored two goals.
Bale played a key role in the 4-1 win at Wolfsberger in the first leg of their last-32 clash last week, as he scored one goal and set up another. He is expected to feature in the return fixture on Thursday.
His contract at Madrid will run until the summer of 2022 but he has had a difficult time in the Spanish capital in recent years, having made played just 20 times in the 2019-20 campaign.
However his agent, Jonathan Barnett, told Goal last week that Bale is still happy at Madrid and could return to the club at the end of the season.
Further reading
- Mourinho: I'm not depressed by Tottenham's form
- ‘Ridiculous’ Mourinho sack calls baffle Hoddle
- Defiant Mourinho: My methods are second to nobody
