Former Real Madrid manager John Toshack has slammed the agent of Welsh wizard Gareth Bale – telling him that if he ‘shut up’, his client could become an all-time Santiago Bernabeu great.
READ MORE:
Gareth Bale transfer: Manchester United ready £85m bid as Real Madrid star demands exit
Man United to use Ryan Giggs to help land Gareth Bale
The Spanish press have been brutal in their assessment of the world’s most expensive signing all season and this, combined with whistles from the Los Blancos faithful, has put the winger’s future in Madrid under a cloud of uncertainty.
Toshack, twice Real manager, believes Bale is suffering with the intense pressure and has lost his explosive form and confidence that made him famous at Tottenham Hotspur, but nonetheless claims that his career is far from over in the Spanish capital.
The 66-year-old said, “The Bale that I knew is not the same as Bale now,” as quoted by Spanish newspaper AS.
“It’s possible he’s suffering under the shadow cast by other players. How much longer will Cristiano play on the left? Will he leave? That has to be a decision left to the coaches,” he added.
“These decision need to be made by people who know football, not those that control the bank accounts.
“If I was at Real Madrid I know exactly what I would do. It’s a very delicate moment for Florentino.”
He went on to comment that the 25-year-old’s agent should refrain from speaking in public about his client, as such unnecessary involvement is only damaging Bale’s success.
“People shouldn’t pay any attention to agents. They shouldn’t talk about football because they have no idea, absolutely none. If Bale is fine in his head and his representative shuts up, he could achieve things.”
The Wales international has suffered from injury throughout this season, yet has still scored 17 goals and registered 10 assists.
The Bernabeu, however, expect much more; as even goalscoring machine Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t been exempt from criticism.