Ryan Giggs has backed Gareth Bale to make the right decision about his future and says he hasn’t given him any advice about what to do.
Bale is currently stuck in limbo at Real Madrid, with the forward out of favour under manager Zinedine Zidane.
The 31-year-old has two years left to run on his contract worth £600,000-a-week in wages – a huge stumbling block to any potential suitors.
Bale has been linked with a return to the Premier League with former club Tottenham recently, while Manchester United have been credited with an interest according to some reports in Spain.
But despite speculation over his next destination, Wales manager Giggs says he didn’t speak with Bale about this during the recent international break but he is on hand if he ever wishes to.
‘No I didn’t speak with him. There was a player who signed between the games in Tom Lockyer who signed for Luton while we were in camp. So I just said to every player to keep me updated [about their futures],’ he told Tibs News.
‘There’s a lot of players in that situation who could potentially go out on loan and may seek my advice. If they want to do that I’ll pick up the phone and speak to them.
‘He [Bale] was just focusing on Wales. It is a short turnaround and he is very professional. He’s very driven, very focused. I’ve seen that with all the criticism and the exposure he’s had over the last year to 18 months. This is a lad who’s won four Champions Leagues, and you don’t win that without that experience, determination and desire. He’s never been a problem for me.’
Despite the uncertainity over his club career, Bale remains an integral part of Giggs’ Wales plans and played in both of their 1-0 Nations League wins against Finland and Bulgaria this month. As well as that competition, they also have the delayed Euros to look forward to next summer and Giggs would ideally like his talisman to be getting more gametime at club level by then.
‘I’m obviously aware of what’s happening with Gareth at Madrid. It’s been an on-going thing,’ Giggs added during a TalkTalk media opportunity.
‘Gareth has started maybe the last 11 or 12 games for me. He’s never been a problem for me and he loves coming away with Wales. He loves the environment.
‘Obviously it is a bit of a difficult situation at Madrid, every international manager wants their players playing regularly.
‘They come into the camp and they are fit, firing and in that match rhythm. That hasn’t been the case with Gareth even though he has started so many games.
‘It [his future] is whatever Gareth decides. If he stays at Madrid it’s what we’ve been experiencing over the last year to 18 months. It’s not ideal. Or whether he goes elsewhere. We’ll just have to wait and see.’
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