Zinedine Zidane said he hoped Gareth Bale had been training after reports suggested the Real Madrid forward was playing golf while his team-mates were competing at the Audi Cup.

The French coach earlier explained the Welshman did not travel to Munich for the two-match tournament because he was not fit.

After being told about the reports and accompanying photos, Zidane said: “I hope he trained there.

“We are here, thinking about the team.”

Zidane was responding to questions in the post-match news conference after his side’s 5-3 third-place win over Turkish side Fenerbahce.

According to Spanish media outlet El Confidencial, the photos of Bale playing golf were taken during Los Blancos’ 1-0 defeat by his former club Tottenham on Tuesday.

Bale’s future at the Bernabeu remains unclear. Last week, the club’s president Florentino Perez blocked him from joining Chinese club Jiangsu Suning even though Zidane said his exit would be “best for everyone”.

Asked if Bale’s attitude bothered him, Zidane said: “Well, we’ll see when we get back.

“I will not prevent someone from doing something. He has to look after his responsibilities.

“We will see what he has done in Madrid. I will not get into his personal life. But I think he has done training.”

Source: BBC