Carlo Ancelotti insists Gareth Bale & Eden Hazard have futures at Real Madrid
By Tom Gott
New Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has vowed to give Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard the chance to prove themselves at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.
The two expensive wingers are both facing uncertain futures this summer. Bale, who has outlasted arch nemesis Zinedine Zidane, will return from his loan with Tottenham and enter the final year of his contract, while Hazard had been tipped to leave the club after an underwhelming two years in Madrid.
With Zidane now gone, Ancelotti is keen to usher in a new era at the Bernabeu and insisted that he will give every player the chance to prove their worth to the team.
“[Bale] has not played much in England, but he scored a lot of goals, he was very effective, especially in the final games when he played more regularly," he said (via The Guardian). "I know Gareth well and if he has the motivation to try to play his best game he can have a great season, I have no doubt.
"Hazard is a top player. He had problems with injury and still hasn’t brought out the potential he has, but he will because he has the desire to do that.”
Hazard, who apologised to Zidane for not doing enough to make his life easier, seemed relieved by the chance to start all over again, admitting to RTBF that he was looking forward to working with Ancelotti.
"Everyone at Real Madrid knows what Ancelotti has brought to the club," the winger said. "He won the Champions League with this group and he knows a lot of the players. We know that he is a coach with a lot of experience. He knows the city and the fans.
"I think we can do great things together. I don't know him personally, but from what I've heard of him he's a very nice person who just wants to win, and that's what we all want. We're going to have the chance to work together. It's good for me."
Ancelotti vowed to use both Bale and Hazard in his attempt to deliver the same kind of 'spectacular football' he promised during his first spell at Real.
“Football has changed in the last five years: it is more intense, more aggressive, more organised, even some rules have changed," he said. "But the idea is always the same for Real Madrid: attacking, spectacular football because that is what the history of this club demands and the fans want.”