WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT GARETH

Wales talisman Bale will go to the World Cup with question marks over his fitness and most effective position in a young, developing team

GARETH BALE is set to go into the World Cup with major doubts over his fitness and most effective position in the side.

No one has done more than record scorer and captain Bale to spearhead Wales to their first finals since 1958.

But boss Rob Page admits there are on-going worries over how fit Bale will be in November and where he will deploy him.

The 33-year-old started up front down the middle in a 3-4-3 line-up against Poland on Sunday as he played his first 90 minutes in a year, three days after coming on as a 64th-minute sub against Belgium.

It was only when Bale was dropped into a No.10 role against the Poles following the introduction of targetman Kieffer Moore in the 58th minute, that both he and Wales seriously threatened. Yet this is the role preferred by Aaron Ramsey when fit.

Bale’s traditional spot on the right flank also looks to have been nailed down by the impressive Brennan Johnson (right).

While 6ft 5in Bournemouth striker Moore (below) is seemingly a must-pick up front.

It has left Page with a lot to ponder after three straight defeats, but the Wales boss has welcomed the competition for places.

He said: “Gareth likes that position as a No.10 with Brennan’s pace and athleticism outside him on the right. It suits us.

“There was an argument to start Kieffer, but we thought the way Brennan has been playing and Dan James, that pace could hurt them. But bringing Kieffer on gave us that option to play off the front.

“We could find Kieffer to then set Gareth in behind them and to do that we had to change to a back four.

“It was good we could adapt to that and it got our four best forward players on the pitch.”

If all his key attacking players – including Ramsey and Harry Wilson – are fit for Wales’ World Cup opener on November 21 against USA, Page could switch Johnson to the left and drop James, who has lost his form.

But Bale will have to improve his fitness first after Page admitted reservations about the star lasting the entire game on Sunday.

There are also further doubts how Bale will cope in a tournament schedule with other group games against Iran on November 25 and

England four days later. Page added: “Would I have wanted him to play 90 minutes? Probably not.

“But he is Gareth Bale and if you get a free-kick in the 92nd minute he could put it in the top corner. So you are always going to want to keep him on the pitch.”

Bale has played only 342 minutes in 11 MLS games with his new club LAFC this term and started only two of those games. He has bagged two goals and is yet to register an assist.

Page said: “They want Gareth available for them and we want him in the best physical position we can for the first game against the USA.

“He has gone from not playing that many minutes to half an hour on Thursday to now 90 minutes.

“LA will know exactly how to get him from where he is to full fitness which is 90 minutes week in week out.”