According to the Special One, Los Blancos' negligence when discussing Bale's injuries might have been the cause for his struggles during the earlier part of the season.

It was a hard path to recover Gareth Bale from his woeful times at Real Madrid, and while José Mourinho can claim credit for giving Spurs' fans one of the best versions of the footballer they have seen, he did not shy away from making incendiary comments against Bale's parent club, Real Madrid.

Speaking in a press conference, the tactician discussed why Bale had taken so long to be fit for Tottenham after joining Spurs on loan. Mourinho's reply did not leave any doubts: according to him, it was all Real Madrid's fault.

"For the past few years, he had whatever he had at Real Madrid. Maybe you should ask them. When you get a response from them, you might understand why he took so long to be fit for us," Mourinho stated.

Bale's last two seasons at Real Madrid were filled with injuries, playing only 20 games during his last season with Los Blancos. Furthermore, his rocky relationship with Julen Lopetegui, Santiago Solari, and mostly with Zinedine Zidane, prevented him from earning more playing time.

It was the player's relationship with his former coaches which prompted Mourinho's defense of the player during the press conference.

"Maybe being patient was the main thing we needed to do to see Gareth reaching the level he has shown for the past two weeks," Mourinho added.

Bale is still under contract with Real Madrid until the end of the 2021-22 season. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Tottenham had no intention of extending Bale's loan deal or to hire him on a permanent basis, but with Bale's struggles seemingly over, the team's board could have a change of heart and try to make an effort to hire the footballer.