Ex-Real Madrid Player Predrag Mijatovic: 'We're All Annoyed' with Gareth Bale

Former Real Madrid player Predrag Mijatovic feels Gareth Bale is a source of frustration at the Santiago Bernabeu and could be on borrowed time in the Spanish capital.

Speaking on Cadena Ser's El Larguero (h/t AS) ahead of Real's trip to the Camp Nou for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final with Barcelona, Mijatovic said:

"Vinicius is playing really well, and Bale is still to find a rhythm. If Bale does play, it could be one of the last opportunities he has to impress. I feel we're all annoyed with the Welsh player just as Vinicius is starting to win over the fans at the Bernabeu."

Mijatovic, who served as Real's director of football between 2006 and 2009, scored the decisive goal for the club against Juventus in the 1998 UEFA Champions League final.

Bale was expected to step into Cristiano Ronaldo's shoes as Los Blancos' main man after the Portugal international departed last summer.

It seemed as though he was ready to do so when he bagged three goals and two assists in his first four games of the season.

The Welshman now has 11 and five respectively to his name in all competitions, but he's not stepped up in the way Real have needed him to.

His struggles have come at a time when Vinicius Jr. has emerged as an exciting option for the first team, and in Sunday's 3-0 win over Alaves, there was a marked contrast in the two players' performance, per FourFourTwo's Kiyan Sobhani:

While Vinicius was impressing and giving the team impetus on the left wing, Bale was largely anonymous on the right.

Not for the first time, the crowd at the Bernabeu made clear their displeasure with the latter, per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan:

There's no denying Bale's talent, and he offered a reminder of what he can do when he came off the bench to score twice in last season's Champions League final, including an incredible overhead kick.

The 29-year-old is capable of being the main man for Wales, where he's head and shoulders above his team-mates, but it seems he'll never manage to fulfil that role for Real.

He can still make an impact in their biggest games, though, and Los Blancos will need that against Barcelona in order to bring a positive result back to the Bernabeu.