Wales call on injured Bale

Gareth Bale has been named in the Wales squad to face Macedonia and Belgium, but will not play a part in either match.

The Real Madrid forward has made just three appearances for the Spanish club since making his world-record move from Tottenham, and is currently sidelined by a thigh injury.

Wales boss Chris Coleman confirmed the 24-year-old would not feature in either of their final World Cup qualifiers, saying: “We have spoken to the doctor and we will be without him, but we said all along it is very tough for him to have had no pre-season and be thrown in at the deep end.”