Mourinho steps up fight for Bale
WE WANT HIM EVEN IF REAL MADRID DON’T, SAYS UNITED BOSS:
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WHEN the chance came to make another sales pitch to Gareth Bale in Skopje yesterday, Jose Mourinho was happy to seize it with both hands.
In Santa Clara last month, Mourinho hugged the Welsh star before Manchester United met Real Madrid and was heard sharing a private joke about Bale not answering his calls.
Here in the Macedonian capital that hosts tonight’s European Super Cup between the two clubs, the United manager was altogether more open in declaring his interest.
It is no secret that he is in the market for a new wide man. With United struggling to prise Ivan Perisic away from Inter Milan, signing Bale would represent a sensational coup for Mourinho.
If Madrid are successful in signing Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe, Bale is likely to leave the Bernabeu four years after a then world-record £86million move from Tottenham.
Mourinho rather mischievously turned the spotlight on his opposite number Zinedine Zidane by suggesting the Frenchman’s team selection for tonight would give an indication of where Bale stands at Real.
‘If he’s playing, it’s because he’s in the coach’s plans and club’s plans and because he has that motivation to continue at Real Madrid,’ said Mourinho. ‘I haven’t even thought of the possibility of signing him.
‘If he’s not in the club’s plans and what you are writing is true, the arrival of another player, then Gareth would be on his way out of Real Madrid. I would try to be waiting for him on the other side and be fighting with the other coaches who would like to have him on their team.
‘If he plays, it would be the best confirmation that he is wanted by the team.’
Two hours later, Zidane sat in the same seat and passed up three separate opportunities to state categorically that Bale will remain in Spain.
If the 28-year-old was looking for assurances from his coach, it was not forthcoming. Asked if it was crazy to think that Bale would not be at the Bernabeu this season, Zidane replied: ‘Bale is a Real Madrid player, that’s all I can say. We are here. Him, me, all the other players and the fans are here for the match only.
‘What’s important for us isn’t what the coach (Mourinho) said. It’s what we are going to do tomorrow. He will prepare his team and I will prepare mine.
‘It’s the same thing with Cristiano Ronaldo. We’ve also had stories there. People seem to want to blow it up out of proportion.’
Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, a United target himself two years ago, was no more convincing.
‘At the moment, Gareth Bale is a player of Real Madrid. We are delighted to have him on board,’ said Ramos. ‘The month of August is very long and anything can happen.’
It made for an intriguing backdrop to tonight’s game, which represents the official start of both clubs’ seasons after the friendly in California which United edged on penalties.
Mourinho has never won the Super Cup, having lost this fixture twice as coach of Porto and Chelsea.
He was happy to count the Community Shield towards last season’s trophy haul, and will be even happier to start his second campaign at Old Trafford with victory over the back-to-back European champions.
He will have to do it without two centre-halves in Eric Bailly and Phil Jones, however. Bailly is serving a three-match European suspension and Jones has lost his appeal against a two-match ban imposed for verbally abusing a doping control officer after United’s win in the Europa League final in May.
Another problem for United will be the stifling heat in Skopje, where the so-called Lucifer heatwave has sent temperatures soaring towards 40oC.
UEFA will order water breaks in both halves if there are any concerns about player safety.
‘I knew the weather was like this,’ said Mourinho.
‘Since we were back from the United States, I have decided to train in Manchester every day at 4pm, trying to keep that feeling of the heat — but it was raining every day!
‘Even for Real, it has to be hard. I know that, in Madrid, they train in the hot weather and are more adapted than us, but we have to play and enjoy a special moment.’