Bale is wasting time at Real Madrid, says Klinsmann

Jurgen Klinsmann believes Gareth Bale shouldn’t be wasting any more time at Real Madrid and urged him to consider a return to Tottenham.

Bale’s fate appears sealed after ruling himself out of Real Madrid’s trip to Manchester City for the return leg of their Champions League last-16 tie earlier this month, which they lost 4-2 on aggregate.

The 31-year-old, who has been regularly overlooked by Zinedine Zidane this season, allegedly felt only a bench spot was available. Therefore, he asked the manager to omit him.

Despite these turn of events, however, Bale’s representatives insist he will remain in Spain until the end of his contract in 2022.

But Klinsmann has urged the former world record signing to reconsider his stance on staying with Real Madrid and suggested a return to Spurs.

“Time goes by so fast as a player and you cannot waste it. This is the worst punishment for a player to be on the bench,” the German told talkSPORT.

“The most important thing for every player is to be on the field and to play. When this doesn’t work out, sooner or later you have to come to a conclusion and consider a move.

“There is a point in time when you become a professional player when you would like to earn a decent amount of money that you can put on the side to feel a bit more safe, but once that goal is achieved there is only one other thing that matters – playing and scoring goals and building your playing record.

“You want to leave the game one day in your 30s and say ‘OK, look at my career there, I managed to score in X amount of teams and X amount of goals in different competitions’.

“Money doesn’t matter anymore. Money has no influence on that decision right now that Gareth has to make, but there are personal elements to it. There is family and lifestyle things to consider.”

Klinsmann played for Spurs across two separate spells between 1994 and 1998, scoring 31 goals in 58 appearances.

The former striker added on Bale: “A player like him, we would like to admire him week in, week out on the television. As a Tottenham fan, I would love him to come back to Spurs.”

A return to north London, though, might not be Bale’s only option.