Gareth Bale’s return to Tottenham Hotspur hasn’t been the slam dunk many expected.

He arrived to much fanfare in the summer, joining on loan from Real Madrid, but he either hasn’t managed to convince Jose Mourinho of his abilities, or he isn’t fit.

While the 31-year-old has made 12 appearances in all competitions, just four have come in the Premier League, and only one of his league appearances has been a start.

He even played 25 minutes against Marine in the FA Cup at the weekend, an eighth-tier side who have a stadium surrounded by family homes.

And now it appears that Spurs have made a decision on his future.

Sport Witness carries a report from Spanish outlet Sport, claiming that, while Real would like to sell him in the summer, Spurs don’t want to keep him.

That is down to a lack of explosiveness on Bale’s part, and there is now the possibility that he could return to the Bernabeu to see out the final year of his contract.

That is a problem for the Spanish club, given that he is reported to be earning €30m (£26.7m) per year.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

Hmm, take this with a pinch of salt.

Plenty of reports claimed at the time of his signing that Spurs had the option to extend his loan stay beyond this season and it does not make sense that they would have made such a major decision so quickly.

There remains plenty of games to play, with Spurs still competing in the Premier League, the Europa League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.

Bale could still be key for Mourinho as the season reaches its business end, and that is surely when a decision will be made.

It may be that he doesn’t stay in north London, but one has to think that Spurs will give him more of an opportunity to convince the club to retain him.