Charlie Adam told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport that Gareth Bale simply cannot retire after Chris Waddle suggested whether the Tottenham forward would ‘pack it in’.
There have been more questions than answers of Bale since he returned to Tottenham in the summer.
When the Real Madrid loanee represents Wales, there don’t seem to be any issues, but his hunger is questioned when playing on the domestic scene.
Former Premier League midfielder, Adam, believes the Tottenham speedster just ‘doesn’t trust his body’, as he made it clear that he hasn’t fallen out of love with the game.
“I don’t think he has lost the love of the game because if he has then why does he want to come and play for Wales? Why does he want to go to the European Championships?” questioned Adam.
“I think he has given the right answer. Why doesn’t he want to go back to Real Madrid? He’s going back to see what the situation might be like because Zidane will be out of the door and a new coach might think his situation will change – (But) he’s 31 now, Real Madrid will want to get rid of him and there will be plenty of clubs wanting him.”
Waddle asked: “Do you think he would pack in at the end of his contract?”
Adam responded by saying: “No, definitely not. I don’t think he can. I think people will judge him on that. I think his agent Jonathan Barnett will be saying ‘you need to play’. Even if it’s to go to America.”
Waddle finished by simply saying: “Well, we will see about that.”
There are plenty of years left in Bale’s tank, but his lack of game time in recent years and injuries have hit the Welshman pretty hard.
The key thing for Bale is to continue earning those minutes because if he allows that to decrease once more than he will be back to the starting line.
And if Bale feels he can get that at Real Madrid next season then he has to be willing to face the door being slammed in his face.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
