Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas made it clear that Gareth Bale had no obligation to attend his team's clash with Swansea City on Sunday.
The Welsh winger, who is still being linked with a possible move to Real Madrid, was absent at White Hart Lane as he sunned himself in Marbella, Spain while his teammates battled to beat the Swans 1-0.
But Villas-Boas said that Bale had been excused to take a little break as his future continues to be at the forefront of all football stories this summer.
"We allowed him two days off," Villas-Boas said.
"It's not the first time this has come up. We never force non-selected players to come to our games. I decided that last season."
He added: "There is interest from Real Madrid. Whether the transfer will happen or not, hopefully you will have more news in the next couple of days but at the moment there is nothing I can tell you.
"Tomorrow is a day off. Tuesday is training so I would expect him to be there."
