Wales boss Rob Page urges Los Angeles FC to give Gareth Bale game time ahead of World Cup
- Seb Sternik
- 26 September 2022
Rob Page believes Gareth Bale needs to play 90 minutes every week in the MLS if he is to build match fitness ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
The Wales manager watched his team fall to a 1-0 home defeat against Poland on Sunday. That loss resulted in relegation from their Nations League group.
Bale played the full 90 minutes in Cardiff but was unable to turn the tide against a resilient Polish outfit.
The former Real Madrid star moved to Los Angeles FC in the summer, though he is yet to play a full game for the club.
Ten of Bale's 12 appearances for the MLS side have seen the Wales international come off the bench.
When asked about Bale's lack of minutes, Page said: "They want Gareth available for them and we want him in the physical position for the first (World Cup) game against the USA. We will be in contact with them and make sure he is in the right place.
"What he does from now until the first game, we will be in contact with the club and help manage those minutes.
"They are a good outfit, LA, so they will know exactly how to get him from where he is now to full fitness, which is 90 minutes week in, week out.
"Hopefully, we get promotion back up, and when we do, we are in a better place from having gone through those experiences.
"There are far too many positives to be negative about it. The attitude of the players was tremendous. As much as we are disappointed with the defeat, we will take a lot from it."
