Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has revealed that Gareth Bale "will definitely" be part of his squad for this month's Club World Cup.
The 28-year-old has been hit by a series of niggling injuries once again this season, featuring just once for Los Blancos in the last 10 weeks.
Bale had a hand in both goals as Madrid drew 2-2 with lower-league opposition Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey last week, but a recurrence of an earlier problem in that one has delayed his La Liga return.
Zidane hopes to have the Wales international back in contention for the visit of Sevilla on Saturday afternoon, however, with an eye on the upcoming Club World Cup in the Middle East.
Asked when Bale will return, Zidane told reporters: "I don't know yet, we'll see if there's an option for him to play against Sevilla.
"He hasn't trained with us yet, so we'll need to wait and see. He's training on his own and as soon as he's back we'll see what he's capable of. But he'll definitely come to Abu Dhabi."
Madrid will learn of their CWC semi-final opponents later this week, with the match to be played on December 13.
Daniel Lewis
