Yes, Gareth Bale has in fact picked up an injury. No, it's not that serious. Back to work, people. Nothing to see here. As our own Ryan Rosenblatt reported at the SB Nation Soccer hub, Bale has picked up a minor hamstring injury that will cause him to miss the upcoming England vs. Wales match in Euro 2012 qualifying. The injury isn't believed to be the least bit serious, and Bale will return in a couple of weeks to face Wigan in the English Premier League, then Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. The Welsh FA made a statement, BOOM:
"Initially, this was expected to be muscle soreness after playing his first game. On joining-up with the Welsh squad he was kept off his feet in training for two days to recover. As he still felt tight in the warm-up on Tuesday, Gareth was pulled-out of the session."
I'm going to be honest. When I saw the "Gareth Bale injury" headline, my heart fell into my stomach. I'm already not optimistic about the matchup against Real Madrid, but if we didn't have Bale, I'm not sure I would bother to watch. We would have no chance. Now we have a small chance. But it's a chance!
The England vs. Wales match shouldn't have lost its intrigue for Spurs fans without Bale involved, by the way. Four members of the Spurs squad will be representing England, and a midfield of Vaughan, Ledley, and Ramsey could actually give England some trouble.