Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has dismissed any suggestion that Gareth Bale has been turned into a scapegoat at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Wales international was deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid and was even on the brink of moving to China, but ultimately Bale was forced to stay in the Spanish capital - seemingly against Zidane's wishes - for at least another half-season.
Bale has since claimed that he feels he's been made a scapegoat at Real Madrid, but Zidane rejected any suggestion that the 30-year-old forward is solely being blamed for the club's problems this season.