Gareth Bale says he is able to play for as long as required in Wales' crucial World Cup play-off semi-final against Austria.
Bale has had just 77 minutes of action for Real Madrid since the last international break in November but says he is capable of featuring for as long as needed for his country this week. It comes just days after Carlo Ancelotti said the Welshman missed his side's El Clasico defeat to Barcelona due to illness. You can read more on that here.
But the 32-year-old has allayed concerns over his fitness as Rob Page's men bid to put on a show in front of a sell-out Cardiff City Stadium crowd against Austria on Thursday night.
READ MORE: Gareth Bale wakes up to outraged headlines as Spanish media fume over 'miracle' recovery for Wales
"It's normal to have some niggles. I've been training for the last two and a half months," said Bale. "I'm in a lot better shape than I was in the last camp where I'd been out for about three months. I'm ready to play whatever is necessary tomorrow."
Bale is set to leave the Spanish capital in the summer after his current deal with Real Madrid expires. It means the Welsh superstar could be a free agent when Wales look to win the play-off final in June, providing that they overcome Austria in the last four this week.
But the forward says he has put talks regarding his future to one side ahead of what is one of the most significant games in his glittering career.
"I haven’t thought about that at all, since we knew we were gong to be in this situation, my sole focus has been on this," he added. "I know that thinking of the future can cause doubts so I've not been thinking about that. Whatever happens in the future I'll decide in the future."
Joe Morrell is suspended for the semi-final encounter in Cardiff, although Wales have no new injury concerns ahead of the mouth-watering clash with the Austrians. And boss Rob Page has revealed his side plan to be aggressive in their approach to what is a winner takes all encounter.
Will Wales beat Austria? Have your say in the comments section below.
"First and foremost, they're a great group," he said. "You can see why they've had the success they've had, the team spirit and camaraderie they've got together, the senior players need to take a lot of credit for that. That doesn't guarantee you wins, but it's doesn't half help.
"We went toe to toe with Belgium [in November] and we weren't just happy to sit back and take a point. It'll be no different on Thursday, we're going to be very aggressive.
"We've not spoken too much about the importance of it, it's another camp and we've just got on with it. When you've got big players in that changing room like we've got, they always turn up to the party."
Kick-off at Cardiff City Stadium is at 7:45pm on Thursday night. The World Cup play-off final takes place in June.
