Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho said Friday that Gareth Bale will "probably" play against West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, in what would be his first Spurs appearance after rejoining the club on loan from Real Madrid.
Sergio Reguilon also made the move from Madrid to Tottenham and Mourinho said the Spanish left back sees the difference in Bale's mood.
"It's great to hear from Sergio that Gareth looks a different guy. If he's happy with us and then goes home and can share that happiness with family," said Mourinho.
"He needs football, he needs to feel a top player again. All the decisions we make with him will be thinking first about the team, but never forgetting what is best for him."
Bale has spent the past two weeks training after a knee injury delayed his return.
However, he has had little game time over the past year as he fell down the pecking order under Zinedine Zidane at Madrid.
"Of course he wants to play," Mourinho said. "He wanted to play since the day he arrived, but it was not possible.
"It's a physical thing. He didn't have any pre-season and even in the period after lockdown he didn't participate in much with Real Madrid.
"Then he plays couple of matches with Wales and had an injury there, so it is not just about coming and needing a week of work to be at the level, it is more global than that.
"We don't want him to be rushed, we want him to feel comfortable and 'yes, I'm ready to go'. Probably he plays Sunday, if not it is Thursday, but he's there."
Mourinho confirmed that England striker Harry Kane will start the game, with his new understudy Carlos Vinicius on the bench.
The Brazilian was one of six new arrivals along with Bale, Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and Joe Hart.
And Mourinho lavished praise on the club's board and chairman Daniel Levy, who he described as a "genius", for such a productive window amid the economic gloom caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Mr Levy showed once more that when he wants and when he is really involved he is a genius in the way he makes deals happen," he said.
"I want to take the chance to publicly thank my boss, my board, Mr. Levy, the structure and everybody involved in the transfer window because what they did for the team was amazing.
"In such a difficult period, the club made an incredible effort."
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
BMW%20M4%20Competition
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20Dh617%2C600%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
![Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho said: 'We don't want [Bale] to be rushed, we want him to feel comfortable.' EPA](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/SO67NITY46FW5L7CGJAJSLT374.jpg?smart=true&auth=28b94e3f9ff93e8de28d3f66f79317d1f21cf94522cf0e9a51776f3ca8513679&width=800&height=450)
