Tottenham Hotspur completed the season long loan of Gareth Bale during the summer transfer window in what could only be described as a media frenzy.
Sky Sports News tracked the Welshman’s every move on the day of his return to North London from Real Madrid (Football Daily).
Bale has played just 161 minutes of Premier League football this season and was even left on the bench by Jose Mourinho on Wednesday evening when Tottenham were trying to chase a late winner against Fulham (transfermarkt).
Jose Mourinho was asked about Bale’s impact at the club and admitted that his situation was complex before suggesting that he was not comfortable to discuss it further without the presence of the Welshman.
He told Football.London: “Gareth is a player that I always loved. In fact he went to Real Madrid one season later because I spoke with the president when I was there,”
“He’s a guy I like very much. As a person he’s a really, really nice guy, a dressing room guy. The reasons he didn’t reach in this period the level that Tottenham supporters remember him is a complex answer and I’m not prepared to… If Gareth was here we could speak a little bit about it but just by myself I’m not comfortable.”
Mourinho lept to the defence of whether the 31-year-old still has the hunger to play at the top level after citing his desire to be part of the squad which travelled to Merseyside last weekend to face non-league Marine in the FA Cup.
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“I think he’s a happy guy. I see him every day really happy. His interaction in the group is amazing,” he added.
“He’s really a nice and happy guy in the group. If he’s happy when he sits on the bench I don’t think so. I honestly don’t think so.
“If he has appetite to play football, I do think so because when a player does want to play in Marine after only one training session, after three weeks of injury wants to go and play in Marine, I believe that can only show a person loves to play football.”
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