Gareth Bale is on course to be back sooner than initially expected

Gareth Bale sustained an ankle injury a few months ago when Real Madrid faced off with Sporting Lisbon on November 22 of 2016 and the Welshman had to be removed from the pitch at the 57th minute.

It was initially expected that Gareth Bale was going to be out of the pitch for around 4 months as he had to undergo a surgery and his recovery was planned to leave him out of the playing grounds for a significantly long period of time.

However, according to Zinedine Zidane, Bale might be able to get back into the first team and perform for Real Madrid’s upcoming 2nd leg Champions League match against Napoli which is scheduled to take place on March 7.

The 44 year old French manager of Real Madrid said: "I think it's March 7 when we play Napoli. Hopefully, it would be great news if he could be back. He's training but he's yet to train with his team-mates. He's training well and he's looking forward to returning but we have to take it slowly."

The return of Gareth Bale will not only please Real Madrid fans but also the supporters of the Welsh national football team as Bale plays a huge role not only for the Spanish club but also for the national side.

Wales has to face off with Republic of Ireland on March 24 of 2017 and the head coach Chris Coleman is hoping that Gareth Bale will be fit and ready to play for the Welsh national side as this upcoming match against Republic of Ireland is pivotal in whether or not Wales is able to qualify for the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup.