Gareth Bale has massive season ahead for Real Madrid, says Terry Gibson
Tuesday 9 May 2017 07:18, UK
Next season is massive for Gareth Bale to stay fit and rediscover his form at Real Madrid, says Spanish football expert Terry Gibson.
The forward has been hit by a series of injuries that has restricted his appearances to 26 in all competitions for the La Liga club, with just nine goals to his name.
But while the current campaign may not have been the best for the Wales international, Sky Sports pundit Gibson believes Bale should focus on next term and will need to stave off any injuries to keep the doubters at bay.
"This time last season, we were considering if Bale was on the same level as Neymar and one of the younger players who was going to take over from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. It has just been an awful time for injuries," he told the La Liga Weekly podcast.
"Next season is so important. That's what has stopped him scoring the goals when you look at his stats because he hasn't played the number of games that he should have done because of the injuries.
"Next season is an absolutely massive season for Bale, it really is. It is not easy to say to a player 'you have to stay fit' because every player wants to stay fit and does their best to but he has been unfortunate and maybe he was rushed back too quickly for the Clasico which didn't help.
"I want to see Bale fit, I want to see him prosper again at Real Madrid but he can't afford another season next year where he plays 26 games with a dozen goals and misses a lot of playing time through injury. Then, I think questions will be asked."
Gibson, along with Jon Driscoll, also discussed how Bale's future at Real Madrid could affect that of Isco, who the former says will be watching his team-mates situation over the next few months.
"Two weeks ago, it [a new deal for Isco] appeared done and dusted, but I haven't seen Isco respond to it and sign it so it will be interesting how that plays out," Gibson added.
"I would imagine Isco is still looking at the Bale situation between now and the end of the season. In an ideal world and if you were Real Madrid, you would [keep them both].
"It depends on the player's attitude. If Bale gets fit between now and the end of the season, which I'm sure he will, and he goes straight back in again then that might be the time that Isco thinks 'he trusts me to a certain degree.'
"That's when the politics comes into it as well. Isco cost £30m and Bale cost £80m or something, so nearly three times the amount of Isco.
"Bale has also signed a new deal that is worth significantly more in terms of salary than Isco. I can't ever envisage a situation where Bale isn't playing at Real Madrid."
