(Reuters) - Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has been diagnosed with a
swollen left calf muscle but has not torn it, his club said on Wednesday,
boosting the player's chances of facing former club Tottenham Hotspur in the
Champions League later this month.
Confusion has clouded the extent of Bale's latest injury with Real
initially saying he had only suffered cramp towards the end of their 3-1 win at
Borussia Dortmund on Sept. 26.
Coach Zinedine Zidane said the player was not seriously injured and was
happy to see him go on international duty with Wales, despite omitting him from
the squad for last Sunday's La Liga game against Espanyol.
Bale, however, had to leave the Wales camp on Tuesday because of the
injury, forcing him out of his country's crucial World Cup qualifiers with
Georgia and the Republic of Ireland.
Spanish daily Marca reported this week that the 28-year-old could be
out for up to a month, although the club clarified his problem on Wednesday.
"After tests carried out on our player Gareth Bale, he has been
diagnosed with swelling without a tear in the calf muscle in his left
leg," said a statement on the European champions' website
(www.realmadrid.com).
Bale is likely to miss Real's next league game, against Getafe on Oct.
14, but could be back in time to play against Tottenham at the Santiago
Bernabeu three days later.
The Welshman, who joined Real in 2013 for a then world record fee of
100 million euros (88.58 million pounds), has sustained 18 injuries in his time
in Spain, forcing him to miss 66 games.
He had to sit out three months of last season due to an ankle injury
although his recovery from that problem was interrupted by two calf injuries
which meant he missed Real's title run-in. He was also left out of the starting
line-up in the Champions League final against Juventus in his hometown of
Cardiff.
(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by
Christian Radnedge)
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