Real Madrid injury news: Gareth Bale is 'having a hard time' says Isco

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is having a hard time due to injuries this season, according to club teammate Isco.

The Welsh international last featured for the Champions League winners in the European fixture against Borussia Dortmund on 26 September. He was expected to be back in action after the ongoing international break.

However, Bale was left frustrated when he suffered another injury setback. Real confirmed the 28-year-old suffered a "strain to the middle third of the adductor longus muscle in his left leg" during a training session on 9 November.

There is no timeline on when the former Tottenham Hotspur star could return from injury. However, reports suggest that Bale could spend another three to four weeks on the sidelines.

"Gareth has been injured for a long time. He's having a hard time," Isco was quoted as saying by Goal.com, before Spain's match against Costa Rica.

According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Bale was left "devastated" following the latest injury setback. The forward has been struggling with injuries since Real's Champions League encounter against Sporting last season.

Since joining the Spanish capital club in 2013 from Tottenham, Bale has suffered 24 injuries. In addition to this, he has missed 40 out of Real's last 60 matches due to injury concerns. His latest injury absence could make him doubtful for December's Club World Cup.

Meanwhile, Real have struggled on the pitch this season in all competitions. In the Champions League, they are second in the group table behind Tottenham. In the league, Zinedine Zidane's side are third in the table with 23 points, eight points behind leaders Barcelona. Isco said there are many factors for Real's struggles this term.

"I feel like I'm an important part of the team, scoring goals and providing assists, and that confidence makes you try things that I maybe wouldn't have before," Isco explained, as reported by Marca.

"The beginning of the season hasn't been one we expected. There have been many factors for this that aren't normal at a club like Madrid."

"There's been a small dip and things have perhaps taken a toll on us. We are eight points behind Barcelona and that is a difficult gap but we have achieved much more difficult things in the past."