Gareth Bale Could Miss Rest of 2017 as Real Madrid Reveals New Injury Blow

Real Madrid have reported that Welsh star Gareth Bale has suffered an injury setback, following an issue that has kept him out since early last month.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man tore a muscle in his calf at the beginning of October, leaving him ineligible to compete in important matches for both club and country; and it's looking like he could miss several more games.

The Spanish side announced that Bale was taken for further testing after complaining with pain in his leg on Thursday, and it was discovered that certain skeletal muscle in his thigh had been ruptured.

A statement on Real's official website reads: "Our player Gareth Bale, who felt some discomfort in his left leg at the end of training last Thursday, has been subjected to different tests today by the Real Madrid Sanitas Medical Services.

"He has been diagnosed with a fibrillar rupture in the middle third of the adductor longus muscle of the mentioned leg. Update pending."

Earlier reports suggested that Zinedine Zidane was set to rest Bale for another two weeks before thrusting him back into the first team - but given this latest development, it could be for much longer than that.