Gareth Bale suffers fresh injury, set to miss several weeks

Bale had only just returned to training and he had previously been pencilled in for a return in the derby against Atletico Madrid after the international break.

However on Friday Real released a statement saying that he had suffered a new injury, to the thigh, and would now be assessed over the coming days.

The expectation in Spain is that he will miss several weeks and he may not play again in 2017.

It is yet another injury blow for Bale who has not played for Real since late September.

Amongst other matches he has missed the home and away games against former club Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League as well as Wales' crucial qualifying game against the Republic of Ireland.

The statement in full read - "Our player Gareth Bale, who felt some discomfort in his left leg at the end of Thursday's training session, today underwent various tests carried out by the Real Madrid Sanitas medical team. He has been diagnosed with a strain to the middle third of the abductor longus muscle in his left leg. His recovery will continue to be assessed."