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Zinedine Zidane Denies Gareth Bale Disrespect, Says 'Suspect Spanish' to Blame

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has denied he disrespected Gareth Bale with recent remarks on the Welshman's situation, saying his suspect grasp of the Spanish language is to blame for any confusion.

Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, responded to Zidane's original comments and told ESPN FC the manager was a "disgrace."

Zidane attracted attention for leaving Bale out of his 19-man squad for Sunday's 3-1 pre-season defeat to Bayern Munich, though he told reporters on Monday that was the player's decision:

"I'll try to be very clear with this, with Gareth.