Gareth Bale will wait for the results of a scan on his injured
groin before Chris Coleman discovers whether he is fit to play for Wales
against Serbia.
The world's most costly player is facing an anxious wait as he looks to make his first appearance since his £86m move to Real Madrid.
Bale picked up the injury in training late last week. There was confusion over whether he was match-ready to face Macedonia in Skopje.
Out of touch: Gareth Bale has only played 45minutes of friendly football since last season
And it appears that the picture is still fuzzy.
Wales' head coach said: 'Gareth picked up a strain in training and couldn't play. It was disappointing.
'What was said was that if there was a chance, he would play. It's obvious. Why wouldn't he?
'I picked him in the squad because it's a boost for Macedonia if he hadn't bee fit. Simple. I was trying to be clever with the tactics. It didn't work because we lost.
'But it might have affected their thinking.
Kids' gloves: Chris Coleman (right) is thinking beyond just this one game when considering Bale's fitness
Flex it: Bale (left) has been training with the Wales squad and is reportedly ready to play if called upon
'But we cannot play a player who says he is not fit. He had a tight groin from the day before.
'We couldn't take the chance. As we speak he's having another scan on it. Just to clear in his mind that everything is all right.
'Realistically, he wasn't going to start the game. At best it would have been half-an-hour that he played. We will see how he feels when we get the results of the scan back.
‘He’s not our player, don’t forget. He belongs to Real Madrid. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for the weekend. It’s a big gamble.’
Crystal Palace midfielder Jonathan Williams, meanwhile, is out for six weeks with ankle-ligament damage, while Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey or Cardiff’s Craig Bellamy may be handed the armband as Ashley Williams is banned.
PROBABLE WALES LINE UP (4-2-3-1)
Myhill; Gunter, Gabbidon, Davies, Matthews; Vaughan, Ledley; Robson-Kanu, Ramsey, Bellamy; Vokes.
The world's most costly player is facing an anxious wait as he looks to make his first appearance since his £86m move to Real Madrid.
Bale picked up the injury in training late last week. There was confusion over whether he was match-ready to face Macedonia in Skopje.
Out of touch: Gareth Bale has only played 45minutes of friendly football since last season
Wales' head coach said: 'Gareth picked up a strain in training and couldn't play. It was disappointing.
'What was said was that if there was a chance, he would play. It's obvious. Why wouldn't he?
'I picked him in the squad because it's a boost for Macedonia if he hadn't bee fit. Simple. I was trying to be clever with the tactics. It didn't work because we lost.
'But it might have affected their thinking.
Kids' gloves: Chris Coleman (right) is thinking beyond just this one game when considering Bale's fitness
Flex it: Bale (left) has been training with the Wales squad and is reportedly ready to play if called upon
'We couldn't take the chance. As we speak he's having another scan on it. Just to clear in his mind that everything is all right.
'Realistically, he wasn't going to start the game. At best it would have been half-an-hour that he played. We will see how he feels when we get the results of the scan back.
‘He’s not our player, don’t forget. He belongs to Real Madrid. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for the weekend. It’s a big gamble.’
Crystal Palace midfielder Jonathan Williams, meanwhile, is out for six weeks with ankle-ligament damage, while Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey or Cardiff’s Craig Bellamy may be handed the armband as Ashley Williams is banned.
PROBABLE WALES LINE UP (4-2-3-1)
Myhill; Gunter, Gabbidon, Davies, Matthews; Vaughan, Ledley; Robson-Kanu, Ramsey, Bellamy; Vokes.
