According to a report by The Sun, Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff have been left shocked by how far off the pace Gareth Bale has been since returning to the club.
It does not appear as if all is well between Mourinho and Bale, with the Spurs boss publicly criticising the Welshman last week for his Instagram post about training on Tuesday which had contradicted the 58-year-old’s claim.
The 31-year-old did look lively in his late cameo off the bench against Manchester City on Saturday but his performance was of little significance considering the result was essentially a foregone conclusion when he came on.
Time is running out for the on-loan Real Madrid star to turn things around at Spurs but The Sun has claimed that insiders at the club fear that Bale was so badly ‘damaged’ at the Spanish capital that he may never get back to anything near his best.
The report suggests that Mourinho and his coaching staff have been taken aback by how much of a shadow of his former self the returning superstar has been.
They are not only said to be concerned about the winger’s fitness but also his confidence and attitude, with many questioning if the 31-year-old still has the appetite to play through pain.
Spurs Web Opinion
Re-singing Gareth Bale was always a gamble given how little football he had played over the last couple of years. It could be that the Welshman has not done enough in training to convince Mourinho and his coaching staff that he deserves more opportunities. However, in Bale’s defence, he could only get his fitness levels and confidence back if he gets a run of consecutive starts which he has never had so far this season.
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