Jose Mourinho has revealed that he is ready to wait for Gareth Bale’s ’emotional scars’ to heal, following the Welshman’s recent return to form.
The winger returned to Tottenham during the summer on a season-long loan deal after falling out of favour at parent club Real Madrid, largely due to repeated problems with injury.
The 31-year-old initially made a slow start to life back in the Premier League as Mourinho opted to use the player sporadically, Bale predominantly featuring in cup competitions in the first half of the season.
Following Spurs’ recent poor form, however, Mourinho turned to the forward to make a much needed impact, Bale having now hit four goals in his last four games in all competitions.
The latest win over Burnley last weekend saw the Wales international bag an excellent brace and lay on a superb assist for Harry Kane, while he also demonstrated that he still has that knack of breezing past opponents with remarkable speed.
Ahead of Spurs’ next clash with Fulham on Thursday, the former Manchester United boss has admitted that it will take time for Bale to shake off the ‘scars’ of injury, although the Portuguese is willing to be patient.
“When a player has injuries, I believe he always has scars and many times they are not just physical ones, they are emotional scars,” Mourinho said at his pre-match press conference. “After a player is injured, for him to be free and clean emotionally takes some time and you have to be patient.
“At the moment the happiness is there. He is happy, he is clean and, hopefully, we all can manage his minutes, his matches, his feelings. He is responsible, we give him that responsibility because he is the one that has the knowledge of his body. Our communication is very good and we are managing the situation the best we can.
“Start the game [against Fulham] or be on the bench – I don’t know. We have to decide. He’s such an experienced guy that, of course, his opinion is very important. He’s had a good reaction and recovering sessions [after Burnley] and he will be involved.”
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