Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane, has said he was “happy” for man of the match Gareth Bale, after Saturday’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Las Palmas.
He however refused to assure Bale of starting against Juventus in their Champions League clash on Tuesday.
Zidane rested Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Marcelo for the game.
Bale scored twice, while Benzema also netted to hand Real a comfortable victory.
It was Bale’s 11th in 15 La Liga games this season, but Zidane did not say if the Welshman’s performance had altered his plans for Juve.
“I am happy for him, that’s all,” Zidane told his postmatch news conference.
“We move on. You will see on Tuesday. I am happy with his performance, that’s all.”
Bale played all 90 minutes, but Zidane was able to withdraw midfielders Luka Modric and Casemiro to keep them fresh ahead of Tuesday’s quarterfinal first leg.
An ankle injured saw utility defender Nacho Fernandez limp off during the first half with a suspected hamstring problem, while captain Sergio Ramos missed the trip with an unspecified issue picked up on international duty last week.
“I don’t know [about Nacho]. We will wait for tomorrow’s tests. He is not happy, not comfortable, he came off for a precaution. It is behind his knee, the hamstring I think. I hope it is not much,” Zidane added.
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