There have been numerous reasons for Gareth Bale’s omission from the Tottenham Hotspur line up as of late. One, he’s often rested depending on the strength of the opposition and two, he's had some injury problems. It is reason number two that is most worrying for Tottenham fans, teammates and staff alike.

Bale’s most recent setback occurred in the away game at Newcastle United under three weeks ago, where he was taken off with a lower back problem. His rehabilitation has been further delayed as he recently complained of feeling pain in his back whilst doing some running sprints in training. Bale is now a major doubt for Tottenham’s round of 16 Champions League clash with AC Milan at the San Siro.

I’ve also noticed that Bale rarely takes to the football field without his kinesio tape on. Bale often has long pink and black tape across his inner thighs and back. The tape is supposed to help stretch the muscle and relieve any stress at the same time. Does Bale have weak muscles?, are his lower back and leg muscles susceptible to wear and tear? This seems to be the case. I wonder if he’ll have to be watched carefully ala Ledley King. Perhaps the style of the Premier League is doing him more harm than good or maybe he just needs a prolonged rest. We can all speculate.

Here’s hoping the club and his national side assist in getting to the bottom of Bale’s physical woes. Gareth Bale is a talent that deserves to be on the football pitch and not in the treatment room.