Wales manager Chris Coleman has backed under-fire Gareth Bale to cope with the criticism being levelled against him at Real Madrid.
Chris Coleman: Words of support for Gareth Bale
Bale has been accused of acting selfishly during matches by not passing to team-mates, with Cristiano Ronaldo clearly displeased with the former Tottenham player for not playing in Karim Benzema against Espanyol in January.
The critical attention on Bale intensified as a result of Real’s 4-0 drubbing at the hands of city rivals Atletico in Saturday’s Madrid derby, with leading newspaper AS calling him "irrelevant" and refusing to give him a player rating in their match report.
But Coleman believes the £85.3m signing has the mental fortitude to not be adversely affected by the criticism currently being levelled at him.
"He's the most expensive player in the world and they're on his case but he'll be fine,” said Bale’s international manager.
"If you're going to go to the biggest club in the world for the biggest fee in the history of football you've either got the mentality to get on with it and not get caught up in it or let it engulf you and affect you.
"I know which one applies to Gareth - but it's just Madrid and the expectations there.
"They've just lost heavily to Atletico and the press are getting on his back and a lot was made when he didn't pass the ball because Ronaldo's the man there.
"People see Ronaldo waving his arms about at Gareth not passing the ball but I've seen Ronaldo in the same position and not pass it. But how many assists has Gareth made and how many important goals has he scored?
"They won the Champions League last year and he was a huge part of that fantastic season and they're still top of the league in his second."
Wales return to European Qualifiers action when they face Israel on March 28, with confidence high in the camp following victories over Cyprus and Andorra and draws against Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"I say to all my players whatever's going at their clubs they can park that up," added Coleman. "It's an escape for them and Gareth is no different to any other player, he's dedicated to the cause.
"He wants to come and represent Wales and what's going on in Madrid won't bother him. He's desperate to play on that world stage at a big championship and he knows he's got a good chance in this current crop."
See if Real Madrid can bounce back from derby-day defeat with victory over Deportivo La Coruna. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 5 HD at 5pm on Saturday.