Wales winger Gareth Bale returned to training on Friday offering misfiring Real Madrid a timely boost. Zinedine Zidane’s European and Spanish champions have lost two in a row, following up last weekend’s La Liga reverse at minnows Girona with being comprehensively outplayed by Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday.

“The big news is the return to the squad of Gareth Bale, who completed the whole training session with his team-mates, said Real on their website. The 28-year-old had been out since the end of September with a calf injury.

Real could also see France centre-back Raphael Varane and Spain full-back Dani Carvajal return to the fold after they partially took part in training. Varane has had a groin problem while Carvajal was suffering from a virus. Real’s next match is a Liga encounter at home to Las Palmas on Sunday night.