Zinedine Zidane Says He Has No Problem with Gareth Bale: 'He Wants to Be Here'

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has dismissed suggestions he has an issue with the club's out-of-favour forward Gareth Bale.

The Wales international has had another campaign disrupted by injury, and since the turn of the year, he's struggled to force his way into contention in the Spanish capital.

Speaking ahead of the team's clash with Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday, Zidane was asked if he's content with Bale's training and denied there's a problem with the 30-year-old despite his recent absences from match squads, per John Skilbeck of Goal:

"Yes, and I'm happy with all the players I have here. I know the answer you're looking for, but I have 25 players at my disposal and I have to pick a team. There's no issues or underlying problems and I'm sure he's going to keep working as he has been and he's going to be a part of this team.

"The most important thing is he wants to be here, wants to work hard, wants to train. There are times when he's not named in the matchday squad, but I wouldn't read between the lines. I understand everyone has a point of view, but he's going to be a player I'll lean on from now until the end."

As Skilbeck relayed, reports emerged that Bale had left the team's clash with Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey early on Thursday. The team suffered a surprise 4-3 loss to the Basque outfit.

Bale was frequently linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer and appeared set to join Jiangsu Suning before a switch collapsed. Talk about his future has continued to surface throughout the 2019-20 season, although a transfer never materialised in the January window.

Despite the constant rumours regarding the forward, Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has confirmed to TV channel Cuatro (h/t Goal's Chris Burton) the player is in no rush to depart Los Blancos, and Barnett expects his client to remain at the club for "at least two more years."

While he is down the pecking order at Madrid, the former Tottenham Hotspur man still has two years left on his contract with the club.

After a disruptive summer, Bale produced some smart cameos for Madrid at the start of the campaign, but he's struggled with form and fitness since. He was last in top-flight action on January 4, when Madrid were 3-0 winners at Getafe.

Zidane has a number of exciting young wingers in attack, with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo both showing glimpses of star quality this term. At this point, he appears more content to invest time in Madrid's future than someone like Bale, who may soon be part of Madrid's past despite Zidane's latest comments.