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Zinedine Zidane has denied disrespecting Gareth Bale and says the Welshman did not play against Bayern Munich last weekend because he did not want to.<\/p>\nZinedine Zidane has denied disrespecting Gareth Bale and says the Welshman did not play against Bayern Munich last weekend because he did not want to.<\/p>\n
The Real Madrid boss told reporters that he would always back his players, after facing criticism over comments about Bale\u2019s potential departure from the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t shown a lack of respect towards anyone and particularly not towards a player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always said the same thing: the players are the most important ones in all of this. Whenever there\u2019s a player involved, I\u2019ll always back them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bale\u2019s agent Jonathan Barnett had called Zidane a \u201cdisgrace\u201d after the Frenchman revealed transfer talks were under way with an unnamed club.<\/p>\n
Zidane said on Sunday that the Spanish side were \u201cworking on his (Bale\u2019s) departure\u201d, adding that he hoped a deal could be struck soon \u201cfor everyone\u2019s sake\u201d.<\/p>\n
In response, Barnett told ESPN FC: \u201cZidane is a disgrace to speak like that about someone who has done so much for Real.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf and when Gareth goes it will be because it is in the best interest of Gareth and nothing to do with Zidane pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a press conference on Monday ahead of Real Madrid\u2019s International Champions Cup clash with Arsenal, Zidane said he wanted to be \u201cvery clear\u201d about the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I said the other day is that the club was working on his exit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGareth didn\u2019t come on (against Bayern Munich) because he didn\u2019t want to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said that the club was working on his exit and that\u2019s why he didn\u2019t come on.<\/p>\n
\u201cGareth is a Real Madrid player, he\u2019ll train as normal today and we\u2019ll have to see what happens tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressed on whether Bale had asked not to play against Arsenal on Tuesday, he added: \u201cNo, he\u2019ll train as usual today and we\u2019ll see what happens tomorrow. You know all about the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club is doing what it has to and that\u2019s all there is to it. Bale is currently part of the squad and I respect that. That\u2019s the most important thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite being hit by a series of injuries, Bale has helped the Spanish powerhouses win four Champions League titles, the domestic league title and a host of other trophies.<\/p>\n
However, his future at the Bernabeu has been the subject of plenty of speculation in recent years and Zidane said an exit was \u201cfor the best for everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n
Any departure would come six years after Bale arrived from Tottenham in a then world-record \u00a385million deal.<\/p>\n