Mourinho urges Bale to prove himself and earn game time

The forward has been struggling for a first-team place since his return to

on loan from

.

Although he has played more frequently in the Europa League, his games in the Premier League have been reduced due to sickness and injury.

The Welshman played in a 5-0 victory over Marine in the FA Cup third round on 10 January and he is expected to appear at

in Spurs’ FA Cup fourth-round tie on Monday but

Mourinho

insists he has to prove himself and earn minutes on the pitch.

"I cannot give players minutes, minutes on the pitch is not something I can give, so I'm not going in this direction,"

he said

.

"We all know the difficulties he had for a couple of seasons, we all know that he arrived injured, we all know that even this season (has been) a little bit up and down with small things.

"The most important thing for him is to be consistent, training without any problems and when a player is consistent in training, high intensity without any kind problems then the player is ready.

"Not to be given minutes, but is ready to earn minutes, and that for me is a difference.

"The match (against Wycombe) is Monday and we still have training sessions to evaluate that. It is also about his confidence. If he feels that the week that he's had has had a positive impact on him and, on his confidence, he will play."

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