With chances in the starting eleven looking more and more limited for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid, is his time in the Spanish capital coming to an end?

The Welshman was on the bench for his side’s 2-1 (5-2 aggregate) victory over Paris Saint-Germain in their second leg last 16 Champions League encounter on Tuesday night.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger enjoyed a fairy-tale start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, but injuries have severely hampered his impact over the past two seasons.

Regarding Bale’s position in the team after Tuesday night’s victory, Zidane said, ‘He prefers to play more,’ quoted by the Daily Express.

‘We have many players. We will continue with what we are all doing. You ask me about a player, but they are all important and I am [happy with] what I look at, including Gareth. He has not played in the first leg or the round, but he will play. He is an important player and will not change.’

Now 28, Bale is moving into an important stage of his career. Despite the numerous trophies won at Madrid, there have been detractors who say Bale will have to perform and win elsewhere if he wants to be considered as a great.

The winger has long been linked with a move back to the English Premier League and as playing time is far from guaranteed at Los Blancos, Bale could well have a big decision to make in the summer transfer window.