Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says Gareth Bale deserved his start for victory over Real Mallorca.

Zidane says he'll continue to rotate his midfield where necessary.

He explained, "We're happy with what we're doing and Gareth is an important player, he's always shown that. The important thing is to play like we're playing. The players change, but the important thing is that the dynamic doesn't change.

"As always, there are players who are going to have more minutes, but that has been the case all along and it's not going to change."

James Rodriguez didn't get off the bench and Zidane said, "He's a player just like everyone else. I know that he wants to play, like everyone else, he wants to play more, but I have to make decisions and I try to do things as the coach of Real Madrid.

"It has nothing to do with that. One day it's James, another day it's Gareth, another day it's Isco. You always find one to talk about, but this won't change what we're all doing, because everyone contributes their bit and that's the most important thing. I'm not going to get involved in what you want us to do for the front page."