Ryan Giggs has admitted he has been under pressure to play Gareth Bale as Wales prepare to meet their hosts at the China Cup.
The new Wales manager takes charge for the first time on Thursday with Bale having flown out late from Spain on Tuesday for an appearance that sponsors are anxious to see takes place.
The Real Madrid star linked up with the Wales squad in Nanning after scoring in his club’s 6-3 La Liga win over Girona on Sunday night.
The 28-year-old is expected to play some part in the opener against tournament hosts China – possibly from the bench.
It is understood the Football Association of Wales would lose £100,000 of their reported £1m participation fee if he did not feature in the tournament and, when asked if there was pressure to field Bale, Giggs replied: “Yes, of course.
“Any risks, stupid risks, I won’t be taking. But it’s also my first game and I want to get my best team out there.
“The relationship with all the clubs is important, I’ve not spoken to [Zinedine] Zidane [Real manager], but I’ve spoken to Gareth.
“I’ve been in contact with him regularly in the last few months and I’m not stupid because it’s an important part of the season.”
Bale had another flavour of the superstar lifestyle that Giggs was used to in his Manchester United playing days when he arrived in Nanning following an exhausting 16-hour journey from London.
Camera crews and excited fans greeted his arrival to endorse his status, alongside Barcelona’s Uruguay striker Luis Suarez, as the tournament’s star attraction.
“It was the same when Becks [David Beckham] came into the United team,” Giggs said. “He took the limelight away from me.
“Gareth would have been out here in the Far East plenty of times with Real Madrid.
“At huge teams like United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich the players are used to the adulation they get, especially in this part of the world because footballers are treated like gods.”
Giggs will assess how his players have coped individually with jet-lag and the eight-hour time difference before finalising selection for the tournament opener at the 60,000-capacity Guangxi Sports Center.
Giggs had four games in interim charge as United manager in 2014 before spending two years as Louis van Gaal’s assistant at Old Trafford.
But this is his first permanent role in management and, asked about his philosophy, he said his intention was to “win games” – starting with the China Cup, which also features the Czech Republic and Uruguay.
“The most important thing is to win games. But in the right way, just like when I was a player,” Giggs said. “You want to play attractive football and entertain, but you have to do the basics like working hard as well.
“I’m lucky to inherit a side with a good team spirit, and every successful team needs to have a good team spirit.”
The bulk of the Wales squad arrived in Nanning on Monday evening local time, while Bale arrived on Tuesday with Sunderland defender Adam Matthews.
