GARETH BALE has been backed to make a sensational move to Cardiff because it ‘ticks all the boxes’.
That’s the view of the Real Madrid superstar’s national boss Robert Page, who has given the thumbs up to the possible switch if Wales reach the 2022 World Cup.
Gareth Bale has been backed to make a Cardiff homecoming Credit: Getty Talk of Cardiff-born Bale, 32, returning home when his Bernabeu contract expires this summer has been growing in recent weeks.
Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett has already stated the Wales captain will decide on his club future depending on the outcome of the World Cup play-off final in Cardiff on June 5.
But Page endorsed a Cardiff homecoming when he said: “It ticks all the boxes. It makes a lot of sense. He can base himself at a training ground he’s familiar with.
“Everybody is thinking the same thing. It will depend on how that results go with regards to what he does next season with a club.
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Play the Sun Vegas wheel for FREE every day between midday and midnight “The only person who can answer that is Gareth and ultimately, it’s his decision. All I know is whenever he turns up for us he is first class so he’s right to say, ‘Let’s throw full focus on the 5th’. Let’s see what happens.”
Before Wales’ bid to make history by reaching a global finals for the first time since 1958, Bale has a Champions League final against Liverpool on May 28 to prepare for.
Bale – as well as Brennan Johnson and Sorba Thomas who are involved in the Championship play-off final between Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield, will miss next week’s training camp in Portugal.
Although if Bale’s not in Real boss Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for Paris and the option of releasing him is available, Wales will take him.
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Page said: “We will keep in touch with him. It’s common sense if he is not going to feature at all and Real Madrid are happy with releasing him then of course we would like him on camp.
“They don’t have to. We don’t have to have the players until the 30th so we can’t pull rank on that.
“Gareth puts himself when he is fit to be available for Real Madrid like he does with us.
“It is down to the manager then whether he wants to select him or not in the squad. He is confident he will be involved and we will wait and see whether he is involved – and rightly so because he’s employed by the club. If there’s an opportunity to get players in earlier then we would like that.”
The Algarve camp is preparation for the play-off against Scotland or Ukraine plus four Nations League matches, starting against Poland on June 1.
Page confirmed Bale, who scored twice against Austria in March’s play-off semi-final, will be available for all Wales’ June fixtures up to the 14th but would want him to find a club if the Dragons qualify for the Qatar finals in November.
He added: “If he was playing for Cardiff and we had qualified for the World Cup I wouldn’t change my thoughts or respect for Gareth whatsoever.
“He would definitely be a part of the World Cup squad anyway. As long as he is out playing football – that’s the most important thing for us.
“He’ll need to be part of a club and training, even if he is not playing, at that tempo with other players every day.”
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Updates on the final UEFA qualifier between Wales and Scotland or Ukraine Page hopes 102-cap Bale will not retire if Wales do lose the play-off final because his influence is similar to the late Gary Speed among his team-mates.
Page said: “I wouldn’t want him to. The door is always open, for what he does in the changing room as well. I’m blessed I see how he is with the players.
“I see a lot of what Speedo was in Gareth and I told him that. Whether you played Championship football or Premier League football, you were treated exactly the same.
“And Baleo does that. I’d want him to carry on as long as he possibly can because it’s the influence he has in that changing room as well.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
