Tottenham Hotspur were heavily linked with a dramatic deadline day move for Gareth Bale.
The Times claimed on Friday that there was growing confidence among Spurs officials that they could bring him back to North London, only for a move to fail to materialise.
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane squashed the speculation less than an hour later when he met with the media at a press conference ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid when he insisted that he was counting on the Welshman (The Mirror).
Bale was not included in Los Blancos’ match day squad against their cross city rivals which Real won 1-0 courtesy of a second half goal by the evergreen Karim Benzema.
Zidane explained why the 30-year-old was left out and insisted that it had nothing to do with the Spurs speculation.
Bale was fit and available, but the Frenchman decided instead to name other players ahead of him.
Zidane told the Daily Star: “He was available. When it came to deciding, I picked others.”
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When asked if Bale’s future at Real Madrid could be in doubt, he added: “No, not at all.
“He’s fine and I’ll continue to count on him until the end.”
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