Manchester United transfer target Gareth Bale blames Real Madrid exit comments on 'frustration'

Gareth Bale has moved to play down his own comments about leaving Real Madrid, with a new coach and Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure opening up the possibility of the Welshman staying at the Bernabeu.

Bale, 28, scored a brace from the bench in the Champions League final against Liverpool in June but hadn’t even left the field before casting doubt over his future.

"I need to be playing week in week out and that hasn't happen this season for one reason or another,” he said.

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Bale scored a stunning goal and then cast doubt over his Madrid future in Kiev (Getty)

“I need to sit down in the summer and discus it with my agent and go from there."

Back in the spring, sources close to the forward were certain that he would be leaving the club after the season’s end but Zinedine Zidane’s shock departure and the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo has opened up more potential playing time for Bale as well as removing the coach who consistently left him out of the starting line-up.

Those same sources denied stories this week that there was any deal in the pipeline with Manchester United for the Welsh star, and Bale has further moved to dampen talk of his departure in a Q+A at his bar in Cardiff on Thursday night:

"I was frustrated, I've said before, not to start the game.

"But I knew I was capable of being involved in the game and I was. It was great to get the goal, pure emotion.

"I kind of just went on holiday afterwards and tried to disconnect.”