Tottenham Hotspur’s Portuguese head coach Jose Mourinho (R) talks with Tottenham Hotspur’s Welsh striker Gareth Bale following the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north-west England, on February 13, 2021. Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP

Gareth Bale’s agent has said only Tottenham Hotspurs coach, Jose Mourinho, can answer why his client has not been featuring prominently for the club.

Bale has only started two of the last 22 Premier League matches the north London club has played following his return on loan from Real Madrid,

“Really, you have to ask Mourinho that,” Jonathan Barnett said when asked why the Welshman’s playing time was limited at the Premier League side.

Bale, in an Instagram post on Tuesday, had posted “good session today” ahead of Everton clash, suggesting he was in good health despite being unavailable to feature in his side’s FA Cup defeat.

Mourinho was quick to criticise the 31 -year old’s Instagram post calling it a “contradiction” with reality, insisting that the Wales international had reported fitness concerns

Jonathan Barnett while speaking in an interview at the Financial Times’ Business of Football event had this to say about the Welshman’s lack of playing time.

“He’s towards the end of his career. Really, you have to ask Mourinho that.’

“When they say, ‘What’s happened to him?’ – he’s won more trophies abroad than any British player in history,” he said.

While adding that the four-time UEFA champions league winner is near the twilight of his career, he believes Bale is financially stable to support a good lifestyle.

“He’s done very well financially, and he has enough money for the rest of his life. He has a very good lifestyle, so that is what has happened to him,” he argued.

Barnett’s who owns one of the biggest sports management agencies in the world also insisted financial gain was not a motivating factor for the Welsh captain’s move to the Spanish giants.

“We chose Tottenham for clear reasons; the path to the first team and good coaching,” he added.

“We turned down two offers for more money at the time but we spoke with him, his parents and they listened to us and he ended up at Real Madrid.”

Bale, in 2013, made a transfer fee move of €100.8 million to Real Madrid which eclipsed that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer record fee of £80 million.