Jose Mourinho 'Waiting' for Gareth Bale If He's Not in Real Madrid's Plans

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has indicated he intends to pursue Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale if he doesn't feature in Tuesday's UEFA Super Cup, in which event he said he'll be "waiting" for the Welshman.

ESPN FC's Rob Dawson provided quotes from Mourinho prior to the Super Cup clash in Skopje, Macedonia, and when asked about interest in Bale, the Red Devils chief was clear in his declaration of intent:

Real manager Zinedine Zidane handed Bale only 24 starts last season as the forward contested against ankle and calf injuries, although Mourinho appears keen on bringing him back to the Premier League regardless of Los Blancos' plans. 

The Guardian's Jamie Jackson detailed that Mourinho wasn't convinced he'd be the only manager in the race for Bale should he become available, acknowledging there would be competition for his signature:

It's been reported Los Merengues might sell their star if it would help fund their move for AS Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe, although Jackson wrote that's no longer the case after Bale was told he's "the future of Real Madrid." 

BBC Sport's Simon Stone broke down Mourinho's unambiguous message to Bale, a state that might pique the attacker's interest should he ever desire a return to England's top flight:

The 28-year-old left Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 as a Premier League powerhouse, commanding a then-world-record £86 million move to Madrid and going on to become one of Britain's few major individual successes outside England.

No stranger to psychological warfare, Mourinho's plan could merely be to get in the minds of Real counterpart Zidane, although the potential upside of displacing a player he's known to be interested in is an additional benefit.

The comments also mean Zidane is now under the microscope as to whether he'll respond and play Bale on Tuesday, either as a result of Mourinho's remarks or because he intended to field the forward anyway.

Spanish newspaper AS (via Football Espana) suggested prior to Mourinho's comments that Bale's involvement in the Super Cup would provide a big indication as to what future plans Los Blancos have in store for him:

Bale has featured in all four of Real's pre-season fixtures—three starts and one substitute appearance—although even his involvement hasn't been enough to stop the team failing to win one of those games in 90 minutes.

Mourinho has opened his arms to the player and will wait in anticipation of Tuesday's team news to find out what his prospects of signing Bale this summer are.