Friday 12 October 2018 22:55, UK
Gareth Bale has been given 24 hours to prove his fitness for Wales' UEFA Nations League showdown with the Republic of Ireland.
Bale missed the 4-1 friendly defeat by Spain in Cardiff on Thursday, after which manager Ryan Giggs said Wales' talisman was "struggling" to make the trip to Dublin because of muscle fatigue.
The Real Madrid forward must train on Sunday to have any chance of playing at the Aviva Stadium but Wales will not take any risks over Bale's fitness with Real monitoring the situation closely.
The European champions have a hectic eight-day period following the international break with La Liga and Champions League games against Levante and Viktoria Plzen before travelling to Barcelona for El Clasico on October 28.
Wales seem resigned to being without Bale as Ipswich winger Gwion Edwards was drafted into the senior squad for the first time on Friday.
"It's going to be a blow being without Gareth", said midfielder Aaron Ramsey. "We know how important he is for us as he has scored so many goals. But we are looking forward to that test and hopefully we can get back to winning ways."
Sheffield United defender Kieron Freeman has also been drafted into the Wales squad ahead of Dublin with fitness concerns over Ethan Ampadu and Chris Mepham.
Nottingham-born Freeman, 26, has played at U17, U19 and U21 level for Wales but has yet to make an appearance for the senior team.
