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Roy Keane Conjures Theory To Explain 'Bizarre' Jose Mourinho And Gareth Bale Standoff At Tottenham

Roy Keane Conjures Theory To Explain 'Bizarre' Jose Mourinho And Gareth Bale Standoff At Tottenham

Graeme Souness and Roy Keane were both baffled at Gareth Bale's omission from Tottenham’s starting XI in Spurs' win over Sheffield United.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has raised concerns over if Jose Mourinho wanted to sign Gareth Bale ahead of Tottenham's 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.

Spurs signed Real Madrid wantaway Bale last September on a season-long loan, but the 31-year-old Welshman has only made 12 appearances across all competitions since his return to Tottenham.

And Bale found himself as an unused substitute on Sunday as Spurs claimed victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The Wales international's absence from the starting XI raised eyebrows with Keane and fellow Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness ahead of the match.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Souness branded the situation involving Bale as "strange" and questioned why he didn't start for Mourinho's side.

The 67-year-old Liverpool legend explained: "It's strange that he's involved, on the bench, suggesting he's okay."

"Okay, [he] can't truly be match fit but good for 15 minutes, half an hour.

"Start him, give him 45 minutes. There's no attempt to get him match fit."

Keane echoed similar sentiments as Souness, saying that the Mourinho and Bale standoff is "Bizarre."

The 49­-year-old Irishman said: "I start to worry if Mourinho really wanted him.

"Maybe it was the chairman that brought him in because [...] not to be given many minutes. Bizarre."

Mourinho appeared to criticise Bale during a recent Spurs training session, which has left many answers over if the Tottenham winger will remain at the club beyond his initial loan deal.

PA
PA
PA

Despite the speculation surrounding the pair's relationship, the 'Special One' has still backed Bale to return to his best form after bouncing back from injury.

"Of course, he arrived injured and he was injured for the first month," Mourinho said.

"Then step by step, the Europa League matches were helping him to get his condition.

"In the Premier League, he has not played many minutes and then another small injury at Stoke where he was having a good first half.

"He's now coming back, it's not an easy process. Everybody knows the past couple of seasons at Real Madrid were not easy for him.

"But let's go step by step and try to get the best out of him."

Featured Image Credit: PA/Sky Sports

Topics: Spurs, Football News, Jose Mourinho, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, gareth bale, Sky Sports, tottenham, Roy Keane