Interim Wales boss Rob Page has moved to ease Tottenham and Jose Mourinho’s fears over Gareth Bale’s fitness.
Wales Online quote Page as saying: ‘We’ve got a medical team around us that are second to none, in my opinion.
‘We have a template in place for any player coming in. If they have any individual plans themselves, then we’ll adhere to that as well. From our point of view there’s been no communication. But we’ve got a plan to get the players fit in a sensible manner.’
His comments come after Mourinho expressed concern over the fact that Albert Stuivenberg – a coach at both Arsenal and Wales – would be working with Bale, given his ties to Spurs’ north London rivals.
Presumably, the ex-Real Madrid boss is even more worried after his No.9 required ice on his ankle following his withdrawal against West Brom last time out.
However, Page’s comments should provide encouragement to Mourinho, as well as any supporters who were worrying about Bale’s fitness.
Specifically, the part about adhering to a player’s individual plans, rather than handing them a separate fitness plan altogether, is pleasing to hear.
It would be silly for Wales to make any alterations to the regime laid out by Spurs, which Bale has presumably been following closely since re-signing from Real Madrid.
In that respect, it’s good to hear that nothing will change on that front.
Mourinho and his backroom staff are still managing the 31-year-old with extreme caution.
Bale has only started one Premier League game, and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes since returning to north London.
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