Lopetegui taking care of new star man Bale LaLiga - Real Madrid Always giving advice to the Welshman who will fill Ronaldo's shoes

It may only be a few weeks into Julen Lopetegui's era at Real Madrid and after only a few days, it was confirmed that his superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, would depart, with Lopetegui now looking to Gareth Bale to fill his shoes.

In training ever since, the former Spain coach has been looking to motivate the Welshman, fully aware of his fragile mentality, by letting him know that he will be the team's leader after Ronaldo's departure.

The Champions League final in Kiev showed that Bale is capable of it, even if he had to do so when coming off the bench, with two goals, including an incredible overhead kick, and he looked to be one of the best players in Europe, one who could lead the European champions.

Even on Sunday, Lopetegui was in constant conversation with Bale in the training session with advice, chats and just generally giving him his full attention.

The coach knows the importance of keeping the former Tottenham man happy to help him find consistency, something that has been missing from his game due to injuries.

Lopetegui believes in Bale, whether that is on either flank or in a central role with complete freedom.

A good finisher, he remains a player who needs motivation and belief, and that's what the coach is looking to give him.