Bale: Hopefully I am a bit fresher than maybe some others
Gareth Bale hopes he will end the season fresher than other players after making his Real Madrid return on Saturday after 88 days out of action.
The Welsh forward scored on his return to competitive football, coming as a second half substitute against Espanyol to score the second goal in a 2-0 win.
Looking for positives, he now hopes his injury layoff will leave him in good stead to finish the season strongly as Madrid look to win La Liga and the Champions League.
"Every cloud has a silver lining, hopefully I am a bit fresher than maybe some others," Bale told reporters at the Bernabeu after the game.
"It can work in my advantage to be out for a little bit, but the important thing now is to get back to 100 percent and playing well and to help the team."
Madrid face difficult back-to-back away games over the next week against Valencia and Villarreal and Bale admitted he may not be able to play a big part in both of them.
After three months out, it’s important that he doesn’t ask too much of himself too soon.
"I plan not to get injured any more," Bale added. "Hopefully now I can keep building my fitness up over the next few weeks... hopefully I can be fit for Real Madrid as soon as possible to play 90 minutes, and obviously for Wales as well.
"I was happy just to be on the pitch. There have been some tough moments, but we have an amazing medical team here. Jaime Benito (physio) has been incredible for me, my family have been amazing, my fiancee, my kids.
"It's been a difficult time but when you get a reception like that it makes it all worth it.
"I've been out for three months so it will take a few weeks to get back to 100 percent, it's just about managing my game time.
"It depends how I feel game-by-game. Today was 20 minutes. I will speak with the manager about Valencia and Villarreal.”
Gareth Bale hopes he will end the season fresher than other players after making his Real Madrid return on Saturday after 88 days out of action.
The Welsh forward scored on his return to competitive football, coming as a second half substitute against Espanyol to score the second goal in a 2-0 win.
Looking for positives, he now hopes his injury layoff will leave him in good stead to finish the season strongly as Madrid look to win La Liga and the Champions League.
"Every cloud has a silver lining, hopefully I am a bit fresher than maybe some others," Bale told reporters at the Bernabeu after the game.
"It can work in my advantage to be out for a little bit, but the important thing now is to get back to 100 percent and playing well and to help the team."
Madrid face difficult back-to-back away games over the next week against Valencia and Villarreal and Bale admitted he may not be able to play a big part in both of them.
After three months out, it’s important that he doesn’t ask too much of himself too soon.
"I plan not to get injured any more," Bale added. "Hopefully now I can keep building my fitness up over the next few weeks... hopefully I can be fit for Real Madrid as soon as possible to play 90 minutes, and obviously for Wales as well.
"I was happy just to be on the pitch. There have been some tough moments, but we have an amazing medical team here. Jaime Benito (physio) has been incredible for me, my family have been amazing, my fiancee, my kids.
"It's been a difficult time but when you get a reception like that it makes it all worth it.
"I've been out for three months so it will take a few weeks to get back to 100 percent, it's just about managing my game time.
"It depends how I feel game-by-game. Today was 20 minutes. I will speak with the manager about Valencia and Villarreal.”