Zinedine Zidane insist he is not panicking about Gareth Bale’s dip in form but admits the Real Madrid forward must starting delivering more on the pitch.
The Wales international, who has scored just once in his last 14 club appearances, was booed by his own fans during the midweek win over APOEL in the Champions League and jeered at a promotional event on Friday.
With Isco, who signed a new contract on Friday, in the form of his life and Marco Asensio pushing hard for regular first team inclusion, Bale’s starting place is in serious jeopardy ahead of Sunday’s match against Real Sociedad.
Zidane attempted to play down any concerns about the former Tottenham star’s current form and conceded he may need at least another four months to rediscover his best form.
He said: ‘Gareth had four months out of the team, and to return to his best level he will need four more months at least, to be as he was before.
‘We must not think that Gareth must step up, without Karim and Cristiano. We have many players who can make the difference.
‘If Gareth scores twice tomorrow, everyone happy, so I hope he does and we change what people are thinking about Gareth.
‘We want more from [Bale] on the pitch, he does too, but he will be very good very soon, for sure.
‘We must be relaxed, as I am. He is getting better, and we must have patience as we will see him at his best.’
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