Steve Nicol does not see Real Madrid's Gareth Bale 'fitting in' at Manchester United

Former Liverpool player Steve Nicol does not expect Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale to be a Manchester United player under manager Jose Mourinho.

Bale has perennially been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the years with United reportedly failing twice in signing the 28-year-old.

However, a move seems to be more likely now as Bale has suffered from various injury problems in the last few seasons. Having only just returned from a calf problem, the Welshman has featured in just 26 league games since the start of the 2016/17 season.

Bale's injury problems have also seen him compete with the likes of Isco and Marco Asensio for a place in the starting eleven, having come on as a substitute in three of his last four appearances.

But Nicol does not expect the former Spurs man to become a Red Devil as he would not fit into Mourinho's style. He also believes it would not be worth the cost considering his injury problems of late, with Bale said to be earning £350,000-a-week ($473,000) after tax.

"No, I don't see him as a Mourinho player," Nicol told ESPN. "Bale is a player that you've got to give a lot of licence to to go and find the ball, to go and get it and then do what you do, which is score spectacular goals and use pace and all those things.

"I just don't see him fitting in at United. I think it would be a lot of money for a guy who in the last 12 months has probably been sat on his backside more than he's played on the field with injuries.

"So I just don't see this happening, no. This is a miss for me."

Bale's agent had claimed in late November that his client had no intention of leaving Los Blancos and that he wanted to finish his career at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"He wants to play the rest of his life at Real Madrid. He loves Madrid, the city, life and he loves the club," Jonathan Barnett told Fichajes.

"Of course it hurts him when the people don't support him and they do with other players who aren't so good. It's crazy, this happens only in Spain and I don't understand it, fans should understand this and know how good he is."