Mourinho reveals why Gareth Bale was left out of the Tottenham squad against Everton
Speaking after the game (h/t Sky Sports), Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho opened up on the absence of Gareth Bale from the squad that travelled to Goodison Park to take on Everton in the FA Cup.
The Welshman has not enjoyed the best of returns and has largely spent time on the bench. He looked set to take part on Wednesday after posting a picture of himself in training.
However, that did not prove to be the case. The Welsh winger was left out and Mourinho has not offered an explanation for the surprise decision.
The Spurs boss revealed that Bale surprised him by asking to undergo a scan on Monday, complaining of a muscular issue. He confirmed that the winger was uncomfortable and did not train with the team on Monday.
“On Monday I was a little bit surprised by him wanting to have a scan because he was not feeling comfortable with the muscular area, so he didn’t train on the Monday.”
While the 31-year-old did return to training on Tuesday, it would appear he sought time to recover from his ‘ordeal’. It would appear Mourinho had no choice but to leave him out against Everton.
“I was informed that his desire was to work with the sport science to strengthen the area he was not feeling comfortable with, and that is the reason why he was not here.”
It is debatable if Bale could have made a difference on the pitch. He has been a pale shadow of the player he once was and has largely been frustrating. It is fair to say that had it been any other player, we would not offer them as much leeway as we do to Bale.
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Tottenham were impressive going forward but were shambolic at the back. The club fought back twice after surrendering an early lead. However, there was no joy to be had as we succumbed to a Bernard winner in the 97th minute.
