'What has changed is that he wants to stay': Zinedine Zidane insists Gareth Bale no longer wants out of Real Madrid and the Spanish giants 'are counting on him' this season
- Zinedine Zidane has insisted Gareth Bale no longer wants to leave Real Madrid
- Bale's future has been uncertain all summer after Zidane wanted him to go
- He was close to a move to China but the finances on the deal were unacceptable
- Bale has featured in both of Madrid's games so far in the new La Liga season
Zinedine Zidane has insisted Gareth Bale no longer wants to leave Real Madrid and insists the Spanish giants 'are counting on him' this season.
Bale's future has been uncertain all summer after initially falling out of favour with the Frenchman. The former Spurs star was close to a move to China while he was also linked with Premier League clubs and Bayern Munich.
But, after no worthwhile bids were made for the Welshman, Bale has been integrated back into the starting team at the Bernabeu and has started both of their La Liga matches this season.
Zinedine Zidane has insisted Gareth Bale no longer has any intention to leave Real Madrid
Bale's future has been uncertain all summer after initially falling out of favour with Zidane
When asked about Bale's future after the 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid on Saturday, Zidane revealed he no longer wants to pursue a move away and will be a crucial player for the club this season.
'What has changed is that the player wants to stay, nothing more,' Zidane said.
'What is interesting for us, in the first place, is that the player wants to stay at the club, that is the most important thing.
'Now, there have been a lot of things said about this situation and I have talked about it too, but the most important thing is that the player wants to stay and we are counting on him.
'He is a really important player for us and he has demonstrated that and right now he has to keep doing what he has done.'
Bale played 90 minutes in the draw with Real Valladolid on Saturday but had no impact
A late goal denied Real Madrid victory in their first home La Liga match of the season.
The hosts struck first against Valladolid, with Karim Benzema hitting his second goal in two games to get his side off the mark in their first match of the season at the Bernabeu.
Real looked to be heading for three points until Sergi Guardiola earned his team a 1-1 draw with a low shot in the 88th minute.
Zidane was critical of his players after they dropped two points. He said: 'You can lose the ball, that can happen, but we were out of position to defend. We had done the most difficult, scoring a goal, and then we need to get the ball the f*** out of there for the rest of the game.
'We know we have to play the 90 minutes. We can't just play 50 or 60 minutes.'
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