Tottenham Winger Bale Faces Race Against Time to Be Fit for Real Madrid Clash

EPL team Tottenham have revealed that Gareth Bale has suffered only a minor hamstring but is still a doubt for the upcoming Champions League clash against Madrid at the Bernabeu.

The explosive winger was forced out of the Wales international European Cup qualifier against England at Cardiff last weekend where he was very much missed, as Wales went two goals down in the first 20 minuets and posed little threat to the opposition goal. The likes of Bellamy from Manchester City and Wenger prodigy Ramsey could do little to make the game more competitive.

Due to the poor timing of the injury, the Welsh Football Association questioned Bale’s fitness when he left spurs to link up with the international squad. But Tottenham has now issued a statement over the condition of the player in an attempt to clear up any speculation.

He has a grade one hamstring strain and the typical recovery time is 7-10 days, which is relatively good news as he has a competitive chance of featuring against the giants of Spanish and world football next Tuesday.

Head of Medical Services Wayne Diesel told the club's official website: "Gareth did not report any hamstring issues when we assessed our players after our fixture with West Ham United which means he was free to report for international duty, nor did the Football Association of Wales raise any problems with us prior to his first training session with the national team on Tuesday following two days of rest.

"He was passed fit to train by the FAW medical team and it was only after 40 minutes of his first training session on Tuesday, which included some high intensity runs, Gareth complained of tightness in his right hamstring and was pulled out of the remainder of the session as a precaution.

"We requested the player be sent immediately for a scan which subsequently revealed the hamstring strain that forced his withdrawal from the squad.

"Gareth has returned to the Lodge and taken part in controlled straight-line running so we could assess him.

"We sent him for an ultrasound scan examination this afternoon and that has confirmed the presence of a minor grade one hamstring strain.

"Gareth has reported no pain or stiffness after taking part in the running this morning and we shall continue to monitor him and see how he responds to his conditioning programme throughout the week."