Gareth Bale included in Real Madrid squad ahead of Man City Champions League clash

Gareth Bale was among the Real Madrid stars to land in England on Monday ahead of their Champions League clash against Manchester City.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already enjoyed a memorable European campaign after their remarkable Round of 16 comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain, followed on by their exhilarating progress past Chelsea in the quarter-final stage of the competition.

Earlier this month, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett confirmed the Welshman would be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season. However, the Welshman is part of Ancelotti’s squad for the trip to Manchester ahead of the first leg of their tie against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Bale has recently hit out at Spanish media outlet Marca as being “disgusting” for comparing him to a parasite over claims he is sucking money out of the Spanish giants. Bale concluded a rant against the reports by stating: “We all know who the real parasite is!” The forward had faced fresh criticism from the Madrid media after his starring role for Wales in their playoff win over Austria last month.

Bale’s fall from prominence at Real Madrid in recent years has been striking and he went six months without featuring for the club this season, although he regained fitness during the international breaks to represent Wales. He has suffered multiple fitness setbacks along the way, but he has become a peripheral player at the club.

The 32-year-old had appeared to be enjoying a new lease of life in the Spanish capital following the return of boss Carlo Ancelotti this summer. He started in all three of Madrid’s opening games of the campaign before being beset by fresh injury problems, limiting him to just two starts in the last eight months.

Earlier this month, Madrid