Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has suggested Gareth Bale is the past of the club and not the future, in post-match comments that followed the manager deciding not to use Bale in what could have been his last game for the club.
Bale was named on the bench for the Spanish giants' final outing of the season at the Bernabeu.
On what could have been his last game for the club amid heightened speculation about a potential summer move for Bale, Zidane opted not to use the Wales talisman despite his side crashing to a 2-0 defeat at home to Real Betis.
Real fell to two goals midway through the second-half to finish a miserable season on a low, but Zidane opted to use Isco, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez from the bench ahead of Bale.
If that decision didn't place enough question marks around Bale's future at the club, Zidane's post-match comments will.
Zidane described Bale as the past and not the future of Madrid.
"He [Bale] has won a lot here but we live for the present and the future," Zidane said, Manchester Evening News reports.
"We will not forget the past but we have to live for day the day to day.
"I make these decisions when it is right to do so, and I must act in the best interests of the team at all times."
Asked about Bale's chances of featuring in the pre-season tour of North America in July, Zidane added: "I don't know what will happen. Lately I have picked other players. Anything could happen."
Bale has been linked with a host of clubs, including Manchester United and Tottenham, while there have even been suggestions of a move to China.
