Jurgen Klinsmann believes Gareth Bale is wasting his time at Real Madrid and should consider a return to Tottenham.
The Welshman has become an isolated figure under Zinedine Zidane, falling significantly down the pecking order before asking not to travel for their Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City.
The 31-year-old still has two years remaining on his big-money Madrid deal, with agent Jonathan Barnett repeatedly insisting that his client will remain in the Spanish capital until that expires.
Bale has been heavily linked with a move away from Madrid, however, with some reports claiming that Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is keen to bring him back to his former club.
And Klinsmann, both a former Tottenham player and self-proclaimed fan, insists money should no longer matter to Bale, who he believes should make the most of his years in football while he can.
“Time goes by so fast as a player and you cannot waste it," Klinsmann told talkSPORT. "This is the worst punishment for a player to be on the bench.
“The most important thing for every player is to be on the field and to play. When this doesn’t work out, sooner or later you have to come to a conclusion and consider a move.
“There is a point in time when you become a professional player when you would like to earn a decent amount of money that you can put on the side to feel a bit more safe, but once that goal is achieved there is only one other thing that matters – playing and scoring goals and building your playing record.
“You want to leave the game one day in your 30s and say ‘OK, look at my career there, I managed to score in X amount of teams and X amount of goals in different competitions’.
“Money doesn’t matter anymore. Money has no influence on that decision right now that Gareth has to make, but there are personal elements to it. There is family and lifestyle things to consider.
“A player like him, we would like to admire him week in, week out on the television. As a Tottenham fan, I would love him to come back to Spurs.”
Klinsmann also commented on the state of his former club, insisting Mourinho cannot be judged yet after a frantic first season in charge.
The German added: “Jose is such an experienced coach, he does it his way, which every coach should do. Every manager should do it his way.
“So it takes maybe a little bit more time. You cannot really judge the season that ended now because of Covid-19. It’s been a drama, it’s been a nightmare for everyone around the world.
“So at the end of the day, he still managed to get them into the Europa League and get into Europe. Now, we just need to trust him and give him time.”