Notes & Quotes: Gareth Bale Talks About Next Season’s Playing Time

Wednesday quote round-up is here. Today, we have some murmurs from Bale about playing time, Morata / Mourinho / Karanka on yesterday’s transfer, and more...

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Gareth Bale, in an interview with ESPN, talked about the distribution of playing time next season...

"I think that's just football these days," Bale told ESPN. "Anywhere you go now in the world - whether it be England, in Germany, here in Spain, in France - there's always big transfers going on. It's just part and parcel of football now.

"[Isco and I] don't really play in the same position. Obviously, it's up to the manager [Zinedine Zidane] what he decides. But ultimately, we both want to play - it's the same for every other player who wants to play. I suppose everybody's place is up for grabs."

On his fitness levels...

"Last season was a bit frustrating for me," the Wales international said. "I started the season off very well, but obviously got a major injury where I obviously needed an operation.

"It took a lot longer than expected to come back from. For me now it's about working hard in pre-season, getting back to full fitness, getting my ankle strong and starting off the new season fresh and raring to go.

"Obviously in hindsight it's easy to say, but as you get older as a footballer, you learn more, you learn every day and you learn more about your body and injuries. Next time I'll come back when the time is right, but in hindsight, which is a beautiful thing, you'd love to go back and change it, but that's not the case."

On his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo...

"We get along really well," Bale added, "On the pitch we play good football. We score a lot of goals and assists a lot. We're just like normal team-mates."

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Former Real Madrid defender and assistant head coach Aitor Karanka talks about Morata’s abilities, but also points to Lukaku’s “advantage”...

"He's a really good player, I've known him since he was 16 years old," Karanka told Sky Sports News.

"He's in the Spanish national team, Chelsea are signing a really good player with a lot of potential. He is a really good kid who is always looking to grow.

"I think he is perfect for the league because he is strong and powerful, he is good with the ball, good with the ball in the air and I think the most important thing for a young player is he wants to improve every single day. That's the main thing that means he can be successful there.

"The most important thing for a player is to know the coach knows you and the coach wants you. Antonio knows him very well so he has the confidence of the coach."

"I think maybe Man United has a little bit of an advantage because Lukaku knows the league and also knows Mourinho from when they were working together at Chelsea," he said.

"Alvaro also knows his coach but I think United have a little bit of an advantage."

On the difference between Morata and Diego Costa...

"I think they are different, especially in their character," he added. "Alvaro is completely different to Diego.

"Diego is a fighter, almost fighting. Alvaro is different. I don't want to say he is better with the ball but he can do different things.

"The main difference is their character. Alvaro is much calmer than Diego. He has a bright future in front of him.

"He can cope with the physical side. Italy is a strong league and at Real Madrid he scored important goals."

Morata, upon departing, had this to say about Zidane and Real Madrid...

"I have thanked him for everything, and wished him luck for this year.

"I've won four titles, among them my second Champions League with Madrid. I leave happy because the last time I pulled on the Madrid shirt was in Cibeles [square in the Spanish capital]."

On his future Spanish teammate(s) at Chelsea...

"I have spoken with Azpilicueta," Morata said. "And also with Fernando Torres, who has told me he'll give me a hand with whatever I need."

Mourinho chimes in on the signing...

"I'm not interested in what Chelsea Football Club does, really," he told a news conference.

"We needed a striker. With Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] in his best condition we needed one to give cover, to give options, him and Marcus [Rashford] was not enough, especially after Zlatan's injury.

"We got a big player, a player that I can compare with what he was a few years ago because he worked with me a few months like four or five years ago. His development was very, very good.

"We think we have a player that is now a top player in Europe, has to prove it at the highest level. There is always this point of you have to prove it at the highest level and now he has to do it for Manchester United, he has to do it in Champions League matches, but I think he has amazing qualities.

"I think with Chelsea it was obvious they were going to sign a striker especially after the situation with the manager [Antonio Conte] and Diego [Costa].

"It was clear they were going to sign a striker, they did it with Alvaro and Alvaro is a very good player for them."

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Former Bayern Munich sporting director (controversially) said that James Rodriguez is ‘“limited”. Here’s Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness’s response:

"I would urgently advise Matthias to speak relatively little about Bayern Munich in his new job," Hoeness said. "Because I am convinced that he has nothing against Bayern.

"But for the money he earns now, he has to answer provoking questions, from which he cannot always escape. And that leads to such stories like yesterday. And if he is well-advised he will talk little about Bayern in future."

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AC MIlan head coach Vincenzo Montella believes that Leonardo Bonucci and Sergio Ramos are the best central defenders in the world...

"He is a player with international experience," Montella said of Bonucci on Milan's official website.

"Technically, I think that he and Sergio Ramos are the strongest central defenders in the world. Coaching him is a dream come true."

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Jose Mourinho discuss how his relationship with Pep Guardiola has evolved since his Real Madrid days...

"In Spain, it is two clubs fighting against each other. Now Atletico Madrid is also close, but in our time, it was just about us," he said.

"For three years, it was just about us. Champions League matches, La Liga titles, Copa del Rey finals, Super Cup finals. Everything was about Real and Barcelona.

"We were in a situation of it being not easy. In England, I knew before it happened that it would be completely different, because it's a completely different league."

"I think the way we both behaved, I think make it also blow in that direction. Many people would think wrongly that we had a personal situation, to which we always told 'no'," he said.

"It was just the consequence of being in Barcelona and Real Madrid in a specific period of their history.

"Barcelona was in the top. Real Madrid was in the low and trying to come and break that Barcelona dominancy."

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Wednesday due-diligence:

• I will be live on our Facebook page at 6 EST today to discuss transfers with y’all. Video will be published on Managing Madrid after recording.
• Ondra and I discussed the Morata / Danilo transfers on yesterday’s Churros y Tácticas Podcast.
• May have gotten lost in the shuffle amid the flurry of news: C-Trick’s excellent Ronaldo piece, and Ondra’s feature on Marcelo.