Jose Mourinho talks about Gareth Bale once again after Manchester United's Super Cup defeat
Gareth Bale insists he is happy at Real Madrid. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he has given up any hope of signing Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale this summer, just 24 hours after hinting he was keen to bring the Welshman to Old Trafford.
Mourinho cheekily hinted that Bale's future at Real Madrid may be revealed if he was left out of Zinedine Zidane's team for Tuesday's night's UEFA Super League match against United.
He followed up that comment by suggesting he would be the first in the queue to sign Bale if he was edged out of the Bernabeu door by the possible arrival of French teenager Kylian Mbappe.
Yet Bale started and played a role in Real Madrid's 2-1 win against United in Skopje, with Mourinho singing a very different tune as he faced the media after his latest defeat against his former club.
When asked if United should not give up their hopes of signing Bale, Mourinho stated: "I think so, I think clearly the club wants him, the manager wants him, the player wants it, I think game over. Because I think now he’s going to stay.”
For his part, Bale side-stepped questions over a possible move to United, as he suggested he was focusing on the new season with Real Madrid.
"I'm just concentrating on my football, I'm not listening to anything, I don't read anything, I just get told bits and bobs," he said.
"I'm enjoying playing my football here, playing as much as I can, winning trophies, and that's all I'm concentrating on."
"I'm enjoying my football here" - Gareth Bale has told @DesKellyBTS that he is happy with life at Real Madrid. #UEFASuperCup pic.twitter.com/tFKa3UbfdL
— eirSport (@eirSport) August 8, 2017
