Zinedine Zidane plans to give Gareth Bale all the time he needs to be fully ready before playing the Welshman again after the ankle injury he sustained last November.
In Real Madrid's official website Zidane had commented during a press conference on Sunday following Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Real Sociedad that Bale is showing good progress and is now back in training "with his boots on". The Frenchman also said that he will not rush his player and will keep monitoring his recovery.
Sunday's home win gave Real a four-point lead at the top of the La Liga over Barcelona FC and Sevilla, both at 42 points, with a game in hand. Barca drew 1-1 at Real Betis, whilst Sevilla were reduced to 10 men at Espanyol just minutes before end of time with a 3-1 scoreline.
The Daily Mail wrote that Bale has been out since undergoing ankle surgery after suffering ligament damage in November when Real played Sporting Lisbon in a Champions League match. Zidane has been struggling with injuries to his players, and it especially showed in the last few games where Real's dream domestic and European treble dream was dashed when they bowed out of the Copa del Rey at Celta Vigo.
Skysports reported that Zidane is hoping for Luka Modric and James Rodriguez to be available for the game against back for the league match against Celta Vigo this Sunday. Bale's return is expected to be at least for another month, possibly for the second leg game against Napoli in the Champions League on March 7.
Sunday's home win gave Real a four-point lead at the top of the La Liga over Barcelona FC and Sevilla, both at 42 points, with a game in hand. Their closest rivals for the league title fared less better at the weekend with Barca drawing 1-1 at Real Betis while Sevilla were reduced to 10 men at Espanyol just minutes before end of time with a 3-1 scoreline.
At the press conference, Zidane reflected how the match was important for the team's morale and the support of the fans had helped his charges to achieve the desired result on the field.
"Today they got behind us from start to finish and we must be grateful for that. The players need their support and today we all achieved an important result," Zidane said.
