Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has denied rumours that he has issues with Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale.
Hazard and Bale are fit and available for Madrid’s Copa del Rey last 16 tie at Elche on Thursday after playing limited roles this season.
“It’s simple. Nothing has happened between us. There’s competition for places,” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Wednesday.
“The coach, me, chooses the best players for each game, whether it’s fair or not. It’s what happens at every big club.
“You can be really good but still you don’t play. I could talk about Nacho, Marcelo, Ceballos, Isco, Jovic, they’re players with great quality. The same thing happens with them as with Bale and Hazard,” he said.
Hazard was an unused substitute in Madrid’s last three games, including wins over Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Supercopa as they lifted the first silverware of the season, while Bale hasn’t played for his club since last August.
Both players have been linked with potential moves back to the Premier League, and while Hazard has two-and-a-half years to run on his contract, Bale’s deal expires next summer.
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