Gareth Bale's decision to retire from professional football comes at the "right time", according to Wales manager Rob Page.
Bale announced on Monday he had decided to call time on a glorious career, having finally been able to represent his country at the World Cup.
Once the most expensive player of all time when he made the move to Real Madrid from Tottenham, Bale won everything possible during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, including five Champions League titles – only Paco Gento (six) has more (Champions League/European Cup).
While some might have been surprised by Bale's decision given he is still only 33, his decline over the past few years – partly due to injuries – has been significant, as evidenced by his MLS struggles with Los Angeles FC and a lack of impact for Wales at Qatar 2022.
Page was not among those caught off guard by the news.
"Gareth messaged to say he needed a conversation," Page told BBC Radio Wales.
"I knew it was something significant, but when he announced it to me, it didn't come as a complete surprise.
"I told him I think it's the right time to bow out. You've just scored in a World Cup and got everything on your CV, what you've done for this country is unbelievable."
Wales' next fixtures are at the end of March when they face Croatia and Latvia to begin their Euro 2024 qualification campaign.
Page had planned to include Bale in his squad, though he recognised the World Cup did highlight certain inadequacies.
"He would have had a part to play," Page continued. "The roles might have changed slightly. Would he be able to play 90 minutes back to back?
"Lessons have been learned from Qatar, the athleticism every team had out there. It's too big an ask probably for him, he might have been an impact player coming off the bench.
"There's a mixture of emotions for me. I'm excited now because it's an opportunity to get some of the young ones through – players like Brennan Johnson to take the opportunity and step up to the plate – and get the next Gareth Bale.
"But there's also a hint of sadness because it's the last time we'll see Gareth Bale putting a pair of boots on for Wales."
But that is not to say Bale will be gone for good.
It remains to be seen what he goes on to do now he is not playing, but Page is eager to get Bale involved in the Wales setup again.
"I would love him still to be involved in some capacity, what that role is don't know yet," he said.
"It's a big adjustment for him, going into a normalish life, but we'll have another conversation with him in a few weeks.
"We'll make a plan moving forward because he's got so much to offer in a changing room and hotel environment.
"His presence is something I would be really keen on, to keep him involved, but I'll leave it up to Gareth and what suits him and his family.
"You've seen Belgium do it with Thierry Henry. Ex-players stepping up, whether it's a coaching role, an ambassadorial role, or being part of a committee making decisions.
"I'm sure the FAW [Football Association of Wales] would also be keen to keep Gareth involved in some capacity."
Newcastle United v Manchester United: Preview and prediciton
Newcastle United are heading into a "massive month" as they bid for Champions League qualification, and their first task is EFL Cup final foes Manchester United.
Newcastle's long wait for a major trophy goes on after they were beaten 2-0 by Man United at Wembley in February.
This can still be a successful season for the Magpies, however, with a top-four finish within their hands. They could even leapfrog third-placed Man United with a win on Sunday.
Eddie Howe's side will not be short of motivation for that match at St James' Park, although it is far from the last big game they have in April.
There are another six fixtures to come before the end of the month, and Howe said: "It's a massive month. Whenever you have an intense period of games, you know those results are going to define what we do this season.
"The last two results [wins against Wolves and Nottingham Forest] put us in a really strong position and also just lifted confidence levels and morale in the squad.
"This is going to be a big week to come. It's Manchester United first, so we have to focus on that alone and learn our lessons from the cup final defeat."
The EFL Cup clash came after Erik ten Hag had described Newcastle as "annoying" in reference to their gamesmanship.
Although Howe suggested on Friday such claims had been "overblown", he confirmed Newcastle would be out to annoy their opponents.
That is certainly what Ten Hag expects as he revisited the top before this encounter, saying: "We know they delay. It's something that the referee doesn't want.
"Whey want to have tempo in the game, that is the aim of the Premier League, so they have to be consistent to let the game go."
He added: "It's a team that is really hard to beat. We are looking forward to the challenge, and the evidence is we can beat them."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Alexander Isak
Isak returned injured the last time he went away on international duty in September, missing more than three months as a result. This time, the forward appears to be fit after featuring for Sweden and is coming into form, scoring six times in 10 league matches this season.
Isak has three in his last two games, with Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic the only Swedish players to have previously netted in three in a row in the competition.
Manchester United – Marcus Rashford
Rashford, unlike Isak, did not go away on international duty, complaining of a problem ahead of linking up with England. That appeared to frustrate Gareth Southgate, but it should have him fit for this game.
It is a boost to United, with Rashford scoring more winning goals than any other player in the Premier League this season. His nine have only twice been topped by a United player in a single campaign – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 in 2007-08) and Wayne Rooney (10 in 2009-10).
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Newcastle are winless in six against Man United in the Premier League, but their past two meetings – the only two under Howe – have both ended in draws.
It was goalless between the sides at Old Trafford. Although Newcastle have not kept clean sheets in consecutive games against Man United since May 1997, the visitors are without a goal in their past two league games.
The Magpies are more than capable of frustrating their opponents if they have a result to protect, too, with their matches this season spanning the third-longest period of time on average at 98 minutes and 58 seconds but seeing a ball-in-play low of 51 minutes and 41 seconds.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle - 34.3 per cent
Man United - 36.8 per cent
Draw - 28.9 per cent
Stellini: Relationship with Conte has not changed after Spurs sacking
Christian Stellini and Antonio Conte's relationship has not changed following the latter's dismissal at Tottenham.
Conte and Spurs mutually agreed to part ways during the international break following a concerning dip in results, putting Spurs' top-four position in jeopardy, and a remarkable outburst against the club from Conte after the 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Stellini will now take charge in north London for the remainder of the season, with his first game being Monday's clash against Premier League strugglers Everton.
Spurs have 10 games to secure their position in the Champions League next season, while Stellini's temporary appointment has not eased concerns regarding the club's long-term position.
One thing that is clear for Stellini, however, is that he still has a strong friendship with Conte and he moved to thank the former Chelsea and Inter boss.
"I want to clarify that the decision was taken for the best of the club and for everyone," he told a press conference, "Antonio is good. Everyone took the decision altogether for the best of the club.
"My relationship with Antonio is still the same, we're very close and nothing changed between us. I have to say thank you because I have improved a lot in my career under him and it's because of him.
"I did the best for him before, and I'll do the best for him until the end of the season."
Asked whether he felt this was his next step into a managerial career, Stellini added: "It's the next step to work hard for the next 10 games.
"Nothing has to change in my mind. I'm not here for vanity. I'm here to help this club. I have to be myself. I used myself, my character. We will see what happens during the process.
"We've had not many days together. We had a good day in training and we followed in training what we did in the past."
Spurs head into the weekend fourth in the Premier League standings, two points above Newcastle United and seven above Liverpool, both of whom have two games in hand.
Galtier: PSG working on next season's plans, including talks with Messi
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier is optimistic about the club's plans for next season, but admits there are parts of the setup that need improving "significantly".
PSG still have a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 despite a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes in their last game before the international break.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with Lyon at Parc des Princes, Galtier explained the work that is taking place to plan for the future, including discussions with Lionel Messi, whose deal expires at the end of the season.
The World Cup winner has been linked with a return to Barcelona as well as a potential move to MLS with David Beckham-owned Inter Miami.
"What will happen next season, we are working on it a lot, with management, with [director of football] Luis Campos," Galtier said.
"There is what we want to do but there are also the positions of each other, the club, the players. What we need to change quite significantly, what we need to improve quite significantly to be even more competitive.
"Regarding the future of Leo, there is the position of Leo, of the club, it is discussed between the two parties.
"I am focused on the 10 matches that come up to get this title. As for knowing what Leo or the club will decide, that remains very confidential."
Galtier also provided an update on Neymar, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Lille in February.
"During the break, he came in for an evaluation of his ankle post-op," Galtier explained. "We're talking with him a lot, we obviously follow his rehabilitation process.
"When there is an injury like this one, I like to give the player a bit of space, but we obviously keep in touch very regularly."
PSG have just 10 league games remaining this season, having been eliminated from both the Coupe de France and Champions League, and Galtier has used the international break to try and prepare his team as they look to seal the Ligue 1 title.
"We've had 10 days to work with a limited number of players," he said. "We've taken care of the little injuries, the players are coming back little by little. Tomorrow we will have a session focused on the game.
"Paris-Lyon is a classic fixture in this league. We need to get back to winning ways after Rennes, and get back on track in the final sprint."
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