Gareth Bale yet to return to Real Madrid training despite Zinedine Zidane promise

Gareth Bale did not train with the rest of his Real Madrid teammates on Thursday morning (23 November) despite Zinedine Zidane having previously assured fans the former Tottenham Hotspur star was going to be back in training two days before the Saturday's clash with Malaga.

Marco Asensio, Sergio Ramos and Luca Zidane also missed the workout but goalkeeper Keylor Navas provided Zidane with a major boost by re-joining the group following more than a month on the sidelines.

Bale, 28, has not played a game since being forced off during the 3-1 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund on 26 September.

Zinedine originally said that the Welshman was only replaced as a precaution due to a minor cramp but scans later revealed that he had suffered an injury to his soleus muscle.

Bale was expected to make the most of the recent international break and be back to face Atletico Madrid on Saturday 18 November.

However, days before the derby Real revealed that the Wales international had suffered a fresh setback in his recovery during a training session and would be out for an extended period.

Reports in Spain at the time suggested that the former Tottenham star could be on the sidelines for four more weeks as a result.

But Zidane struck a more optimistic note in his diagnosis and earlier this week the boss assured that his injury-prone star would be back in full training alongside Navas and Mateo Kovacic on Thursday.

"Bale, Keylor Navas and Kovacic will train with the team on Thursday," the Real boss said in the press conference following the Tuesday's 6-0 win over APOEL FC in the Champions League.

But Bale did not returned to training on Thursday despite his manager's comments with Real Madrid claiming that the Welshman is still working on his recovery.

Meanwhile, Navas did train with the rest of his available teammates although it is still uncertain whether the Real Madrid number one will be 100% fit to feature when Malaga visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

The Costa Rica international has not played a game since suffering a muscle injury during the Champions League draw against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 October.

The visit of Malaga is expected to come too soon for both Ramos and Luca with both players also missing the workout.

Meanwhile, Asensio, who played the full 90 minutes agaianst APOEL, didn't train with the rest of his teammates but Los Blancos have not disclosed the reasons behind his absence.

"The squad trained at Real Madrid City as preparations heated up for Saturday's La Liga clash with Málaga at the Santiago Bernabéu (4:15pm CET). Keylor Navas returned to the flock as Zidane also saw fit to involve the Castilla pair Tejero and Feuillasier as well as Under-19s goalkeeper Moha. Asensio trained using the indoor facilities," the club said.

"The session started with a circuit of three exercises which saw the outfield players combine physical training with ball work. Afterwards, they practised passing and pressing, before playing games on reduced size pitches. Bale, Luca and Ramos continued their recovery processes. The captain ran out on the pitch alone."