Former Wales coach Mark Hughes is urging Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale to shelve any retirement plans.

After season on-loan with Tottenham, Bale is considering his playing future.

Speaking at a Betfair event, Hughes said: “We've all been disappointed with the amount of game-time Gareth's had at Spurs.

“It's a strange one. I don't understand what's happened. Jose Mourinho can be pragmatic. He wants his wide guys to tuck in and do the defensive work. Gareth's not going to do that beyond a certain extent – maybe not to the extent that Mourinho wanted.

“It's the only thing I can think of. Yes, he has had injury problems in the past. Sometimes players do need to be in their mind as near to 100 per cent as possible.

“Sometimes players can be 75 per cent and play. Perhaps Gareth needs to be at 95 per cent before he can perform?

“He plays at a pace and with such power that he will be susceptible to muscles pinging.

“But I can't believe he's going to pack it in. He's got another year in Madrid and I can't believe he will jack it in at that early age.

“I certainly hope not because he is ­certainly capable of getting to the 2022 World Cup if he wants to.

“And Wales haven't qualified for one since 1958, so that will be a target for him.

“He can do it if he wants. If you look back at Ryan Giggs and how he developed, Ryan was just a flying machine when he burst on to the scene. No one could keep up with him.

“As he became older he became more ­intelligent and dropped back, becoming a midfield creator.

“Gareth has the capability of doing that. If he wanted to, he could get away with playing at 80 per cent of what he was and he would still be an asset."