Gareth Bale named in Wales squad for qualifiers

Gareth Bale has been named in the Wales squad to face Macedonia and Belgium, but will not play a part in either match.

The Real Madrid forward has made just three appearances for the Spanish club since making his world-record move from Tottenham, and is currently sidelined by a thigh injury.

Wales boss Chris Coleman confirmed the 24-year-old would not feature in either of their final World Cup qualifiers, saying: "We have spoken to the doctor and we will be without him, but we said all along it is very tough for him to have had no pre-season and be thrown in at the deep end."

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti expects Bale to use the next 15 days to recover from his latest injury — despite the €100 million euro forward being called up for Wales duty.

The 24-year-old suffered another setback on Wednesday as a thigh muscle complaint ruled him out of a 4-0 Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen.

Following the resounding win over the Danish club — in which Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria scored two goals apiece — Ancelotti moved to allay fears over Bale's condition, promising the winger would use the upcoming international break to reach a "good physical condition".

Ancelotti had told Real’s official website: “We are not worried, he has not played because of muscle fatigue and it is nothing special.

“He is waiting to recover his optimal fitness. He was not at 100 per cent but he will get there because he has 15 days of rest and then will be ready.

“He is not happy and that is normal, he wants to play and is eager but it is not a problem. Now we have time to get him into a good physical condition and avoid injuries.”

Bale moved to the Santiago Bernabeu for a world-record fee in September after missing much of Spurs' pre-season campaign through injury and he has only started once for Los Blancos — scoring on his debut in a 2-2 draw at Villarreal.