Gareth Bale agent turns heat on Mourinho over Tottenham situation

· TEAM talk

Gareth Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, has appeared to pin the blame on Jose Mourinho after being questioned about the winger’s lack of playing time at Tottenham.

Bale moved to Spurs on loan in September, after falling out of favour with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane. The Wales international arrived to much fanfare having spent six years at the club earlier in his career.

But things have not gone to plan in north London, with Bale making only two Premier League starts. He has enjoyed seven league outings in total, scoring one goal.

The former Southampton ace did start all six of Spurs’ Europa League group games last year. He has also featured on both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Questions have been asked about Bale’s application as a result, with Gary Neville claiming the player has done himself no favours.

However, Bale’s absence during the recent FA Cup exit at Everton saw Mourinho appear to turn the focus back on the player.

That has heightened talk of a bust-up between the pair, with Bale’s departure this summer now seeming likely regardless of what the future holds for Mourinho.

And speaking at a Business of Football summit, Barnett gave a cagey answer to a question about Bale’s lack of action.

“He’s towards the end of his career. You’ll have to ask Mourinho that,” Barnett said.

“When they say what’s happened to him, he’s won more trophies abroad than any player in British history. He’s done very well financially, he has money for the rest of his life.”

Mourinho cryptic on Bale minutes

Bale was again benched during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Man City, though he did make an impact off the bench during the latter stages.

Speaking afterwards, Mourinho sent a cryptic message over the situation involving Bale and Dele Alli.

“Good players when they are fit and when they are ready and when they can [play] are always welcome, always welcome.

“We coaches sometimes we can make wrong decisions, we all do, but not one of us is crazy.

“Not one of us says I don’t want this player to help me and the team. Especially when the player has the potential and the conditions he needs to do it.

“We miss Gio [Lo Celso] for a long, long time. We miss [Sergio] Reguilon for a few weeks. If we can have them back, if we can have Dele and Gareth fit and ready to play. It’s a big improvement in our squad.”

READ MORE: Tottenham cost to sack Mourinho revealed as Levy eyes two successors

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