Bale, who is currently injured, was pictured in London just two days before Real Madrid’s La Liga game against bottom side CD Leganes, fueling rumors of trying to engineer a winter exit with his agent.
Zidane has moved to clarify that the former Tottenham Hotspur star man was granted permission to travel to England to deal with a personal matter.
The 30-year-old’s future at the Bernabeu has been in doubt amid interest from several clubs in China and a purported rift between him and the French coach.
But according to Zidane, Bale is happy at the club and he does have a good relationship with the Wales superstar.
“He went to London on a personal matter and with the permission of the club. He talked to the club because he has a right to personal things,” the Real Madrid coach explained in his pre match conference.
“You have to ask the club for permission, which is the most important thing. He also went because he’s not available.”
“It’s a very simple matter. He asked the club for permission and the club gave it to him.”
Zidane reiterated that Bale is still important to the Los Blancos and believes he is still focused.
“We think that Bale is a player who puts in a lot of effort and trains well. He’s important for this squad and for the club,” Zidane added.
“When he’s not available, he’s not available because he’s got something and that’s it.
“There’s a lot of talk and a lot of things said. When he’s ready and 100 per cent, we’ll see. He’s focused on playing well for the team.”
Zidane says there have been no suggestions of a move away from Real Madrid in January.
“He’s never talked about leaving. If he can train, he trains and if he can play, he plays. In fact, he’s played a lot of games,” the French tactician said.
