Carlo Ancelotti is unsure of when Gareth Bale will return after suffering what the Real Madrid boss described as a “significant” injury.

The Welsh captain had made a good start to the season after returning to favor at Real after spending last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur.

“It’s a significant injury,” said former manager of Everton Ancelotti.

“It is difficult to estimate how long he will be on the sidelines.”

Quadruple Champions League winner Bale joined former Spurs on loan in 2020-21 after becoming a marginal figure at Real under Zinedine Zidane.

But following Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabeu in June, Bale was welcomed back into the fold.

He started his first three games of the season – and scored his first goal of the campaign against Levante – before making three appearances for Wales earlier this month, including the 3-2 win in qualifying for the World Cup against Belarus in which he scored a hat-trick. .

It was during the preparation for Real’s first game after the international break, against Celta Vigo on September 12, that Bale reportedly suffered an injury.

“It’s a real shame because he was in good shape,” Ancelotti said at a press conference ahead of Real’s La Liga meeting with Valencia.

“He had worked very well, had done well with Wales, had done well with Real Madrid.

“We just have to wait and see now, sometimes these things happen. We have a lot of games and when the players play a lot of games there is a higher chance of getting injured.”

Bale was due to win his 100th cap in the Wales World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic on October 8, but there are now question marks as to whether he will be fit for this game.

Robert Page’s team are in third place in their qualifying group E for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, tied on points with the Czechs, but nine points behind the Belgian leader.

They play a second away qualifying match against Estonia on October 11.