Chris Coleman: 'Gareth Bale will overcome criticism'

Wales manager Chris Coleman has backed Gareth Bale to silence his critics at Real Madrid.

The winger has been under fire from the club's supporters in recent weeks due to a string of low-key performances.

However, he ended a nine-game run without a goal on Sunday by scoring twice in Madrid's 2-0 win over Levante.

Coleman believes that Bale has the right character to handle questions over his form.

"Gareth is a big boy and he'll come through all this," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "When you play for Madrid you have to win and entertain every time you go on to the pitch. Winning and not playing well is not acceptable. The stakes are high. But he got a couple of goals last weekend - he'll be fine."

Los Blancos are back in action on Sunday when they travel to bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga.