International coach says Tottenham ace ‘probably the fittest’ he’s seen him

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Tottenham Hotspur have been praised by Wales assistant coach Robert Page for their work in getting Gareth Bale’s fitness up.

The 31-year-old rejoined Spurs on a season-long loan deal in mid-September, a move which saw the media spotlight shine brightly on the white half of North London.

Bale wasn’t thrown straight into action as he was recovering from a knee injury on Wales duty prior to his switch to Tottenham, as well as being short of match fitness.

However, he has since returned to action for Spurs, with six competitive appearances under his belt already, of which four have been starts.

Bale’s first Premier League start came in the 1-0 win over West Brom last time out, featuring for 78 minutes before being replaced by Lucas Moura.

He was then seen receiving treatment on his right ankle, which appeared to be covered in an ice pack.

Bale wasn’t involved in Wales’ friendly with the United States in Swansea, instead being rested for the upcoming Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Amid reports claiming the Real Madrid loanee was watching golf during the game, Page said he wasn’t concerned with what Bale was up to while in the stands.

“I don’t know what the players not in the squad were up to,” he is quoted by Goal.com as saying.

“There are no problems at all. Balo’s here, he’s in the dressing room with the lads beforehand and making sure that everyone’s in the right frame of mind.

“He is probably the fittest he has been and we will benefit from that. It’s great to have him playing week-in week-out and the way Tottenham have built him up to full fitness.

“It’s a case of managing him this week. It was always the plan to leave him out of the 23 and have him raring to go and firing on Sunday.”

TBR View:

Bale being rested for the US game was definitely the right decision, and now he’ll be fitter for the important Nations League games coming up.

Page’s comments towards the player’s fitness and praise towards Tottenham for getting him back to full fitness are testament to great work from the club.

Hopefully Bale will emerge unscathed from the upcoming Wales games and get back to the business of helping Spurs maintain their position in the top four and fight on several fronts.