Jose Mourinho hints Spurs attacker won’t play every game in busy run-in

Jose Mourinho has said Gareth Bale is now the fittest he has been since returning to Tottenham but has warned that the Welshman’s minutes must still be managed carefully.

Bale has arguably been Spurs’ most in-form player in recent weeks. After an impressive cameo against West Ham United last weekend, he came off the bench and scored an excellent goal in the Europa League on Wednesday.

We expect him to start against Burnley on Sunday, but Mourinho has told reporters that questions remain as to how long Bale can last in matches and how many days he needs to recover in between appearances.

“He looks happier than ever. He looks confident,” Mourinho said (via the Guardian).

“The mental is always a consequence of the physical. If a player feels great, if he is training at 100%, then his feelings will be very good. There are no psychological problems, no fears or barriers.

“When you have little things [wrong physically] – and especially when you have a recent history of injuries – it’s normal [to have worries]. Physical things have consequences. But lately Gareth is fine. It is just a question of how many minutes he can play, how many days he needs to recover between matches.”

Despite his warning, Mourinho’s quotes are very positive and Tottenham fans will be very glad to hear them.

It has been a long road but Bale appears to be approaching full match fitness, which could come in very handy during a busy run-in – Mourinho, however, has the tricky task of choosing the games in which Bale can play a significant role.