Real Madrid assistant coach hints at striking role for Gareth Bale

By Robert Summerscales, Reporter | 08 September 2013

Real Madrid assistant coach Paul Clement suggests that new signing Gareth Bale could be used as a striker at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid assistant coach Paul Clement has suggested that new signing Gareth Bale could be used as a striker at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old winger, who joined Real in an £85m move from Tottenham Hotspur last week, began his career as a left-back, before later becoming a winger.

However, Bale was also used in a more central attacking role by Spurs last season and Clement believes that the player's adaptable positional sense is likely to be utilised during his time in La Liga.

"Gareth has the goalscoring talent and ability to set up goals for others. He recently became more central. He's got that versatility," Clement told BBC Sport. "[Head Coach] Carlo Ancelotti has a clear idea how to use him but things can change.

"We have a lot of exciting players here. Karim Benzema is a great talent, while Isco plays in midfield but has chipped in with three goals already. It'll be interesting to see how players fit in together.

"We'll be trying to find their best position and what's best for the team as quickly as possible."

Bale scored 42 goals in 146 Premier League appearances for Spurs.