Bale 'out for three months' due to surgery

Gareth Bale is to undergo surgery on the ankle injury he suffered during Tuesday's Champions League win over Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid have announced.

The Wales international was replaced just before the hour mark during the 2-1 victory in Portugal and tests on Wednesday revealed he had suffered damage to his tendons.

Real have now announced the 27-year-old will go under the knife in London next Tuesday.

The European champions have not said how long they expect Bale to be sidelined for, but reports in Spain suggest he could be out for up to three months.

Wales' next scheduled match is the World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on March 24th.