Outspoken Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has seemingly sent a message to struggling Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale.
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The Welshman has not had the expected impact at Spurs so far, making just 12 appearances since his much-celebrated return in September 2020.
With Bale having featured only once in the club's past nine Premier League games, Mourinho has now insisted the player needs to earn his playing time and cannot just expect to start.
"I cannot give players minutes – minutes on the pitch is not something I can give," the Portuguese tactician said, as quoted by the Daily Mirror.
Check out where Bale ranked among the best-paid players in 2020 below:
"We all know the difficulties that he had for a couple of seasons.
"We all know that he arrived injured, we all know that even this season (he is) a little bit up and down with small things.
"The most important thing for him is to be consistent in training, at high intensity without any problems, and when a player is consistent in training then the player is ready, not to be given minutes but to earn minutes.
"That's a different thing."
Bale's next chance to gain some playing minutes will come when Spurs face Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup on Monday night.
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