Wales supervisor Rob Page cited health concern as the explanation to substitute stalwart Gareth Bale at half-time in his facet’s 0-3 loss to England on the Al Rayyan Stadium on Tuesday.
“Yeah, Gareth was struggling after the first half with his hamstring. And I had to make a call about him,” stated Page.
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“He wants what is best for the team. And he knew if he had gone back on, he would be at 70 percent, and you can’t be playing against a team like that.
“You can’t carry anybody, and we needed people out there willing to run into the ground and he couldn’t have done that,” Page added.
The former Real Madrid participant’s substitution on the break fuelled discussions whether or not this was his final look in a Welsh shirt.
Page refused the claims. “I don’t think it’ll be the last time you seen him in a Wales jersey. You know these games are starting again in March with the Euro qualifiers,” he stated.
Tuesday’s loss noticed Wales exit the FIFA World Cup 2022 with no win, and on the backside spot in Group B.