"Gareth is one of us, like always, he's here and I'm going to count on him"
Saturday 14 December 2019 16:11, UK
Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane says Gareth Bale remains "one of us", despite the winger not featuring in the club's past two matches.
Bale, who came close to leaving for Chinese club Jiangsu Suning in the summer transfer window, was an unused substitute against Club Brugge in the Champions League in midweek after he was left out of Real's 2-0 win against Espanyol last weekend.
But Zidane says Bale remains firmly in his plans as Real prepare to face in-form Valencia on Sunday before visiting Barcelona on Wednesday during a busy run of fixtures ahead of the winter break and the January transfer window.
"I don't think Gareth's role is less important now. I'm making my decisions, you know?" Zidane said on Saturday.
"I made three changes during the last match and Gareth wasn't there. But Gareth is one of us, like always, he's here and I'm going to count on him.
"You need to know that I have 25 players and they´re all important to me. All of them."
Zidane stated last month he wants Bale to remain at the Bernabeu for the rest of the season - despite reports of a January move away.
The Frenchman also vowed to respect Paris Saint-Germain's relationship with Kylian Mbappe amid rumours of disharmony between the forward and Thomas Tuchel at the Parc des Princes.
Zidane admitted to being "in love" with Mbappe last month, with Real frequently linked with a move for his countryman, who admitted earlier this year he is open to a "new project".
Asked if he thinks the problems Mbappe is having with his coach might bring him closer to Real, Zidane replied: "I don´t know.
"Kylian Mbappe is a PSG player, and I'm not going to make any comments about what´s going on there, that would be disrespectful.
"Besides that, everyone knows I know Kylian very well, but I have to respect things from here."
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