• Premier League

Coleman backs Bale for Real move

ESPN staff
August 15, 2013
Gareth Bale missed Wales' 0-0 friendly draw with Ireland due to injury © Getty Images
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Wales manager Chris Coleman is sure that "superstar" Gareth Bale would have no problem adapting to plying his trade in La Liga, as a move to Real Madrid continues to be mooted.

Bale joined up with the Wales squad this week but was not involved in their 0-0 draw with Ireland due to an injury which has hampered his pre-season preparations.

Having been strongly linked with a €100 million move to Real this summer, Spurs are apparently determined to fend off interest in Bale.

It is suggested in The Sun, though, that Real are "confident" of securing his services, and Coleman has backed Bale to impress should he move abroad.

"I have no reservations about how he would handle it," Coleman, who used to manage Real Sociedad, said in the Independent.

"When you move to another country you have to embrace the culture and you can't expect everybody else to change for you.

"For Gareth as a player wherever he goes he will have to learn the language and the culture, but his ability will always be there.

"His mentality is fine. He is a superstar. He is a super talent, but he is not caught up with that.

"The best players don't stop and think how well they have just done, they are always striving. 'How can I do better? How can I improve?'

"That's why the best stay there for so long, players like him and Ryan Giggs don't care about how much money they have got, what fancy car he's driving, or what big house he is living in or the stardom of it. It is all about being on the pitch and producing because they love football, genuinely."

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