Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has explained why he refused to offer club-record signing Gareth Bale a potential farewell send-off at the Santiago Bernabéu this weekend.
Real finished the season in with their 12th defeat of the LaLiga campaign with the 2-0 loss to Real Betis - which left them 19 points behind champions FC Barcelona.
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And the exclusion of the Wales superstar was a major talking point, with reports rife that his time at the club has come to an abrupt end after six trophy-laden seasons.
Zidane, who is in his second stint at Los Blancos explained why he chose not to field the 29-year-old.
"It is true, I did not [give Bale a chance to say goodbye]," Zidane said after the game. "If I had brought on another player, the same thing would have happened"
"But I have to look at the day-to-day, and make decisions. And when there is something I do not like, or does not fit for me, I must do what I think best. It might be difficult for the player.
"We cannot forget all he has done here, but I must live in the present, think of the future. We will see [if Bale continues]. I don't know what will happen, truthfully."
Bale has scored 109 goals and registered 64 assists in 231 games since joining the club for a then world-record £90m fee from Tottenham in 2013.
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