Wales manager Chris Coleman says Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is recovering well from ankle surgery. Bale was injured playing for club side Real Madrid in the Champions League and was operated on in London in November. Wales' next 2018 World Cup qualifier is against Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 24 March and boss Coleman thinks Bale is on course to recover. "So far so good, no problem, nothing to worry about, there are no problems," Coleman told BBC Wales Sport.

"There are no alarm bells ringing. We still have a bit of time left and fingers crossed." Coleman is planning a trip to Madrid to visit his talisman, who played in every game to help Wales qualify for the 2016 European Championship, where they reached the semi-final. "I will pop out and see him for a few days, but that was always planned," he said. "We try and do that once a season."

Coleman believes the changes to the World Cup, which will see the tournament expand from 32 to 48 sides, is good for a country such as Wales. "It gives the smaller nations a better chance to compete so I think that will probably a good thing for us," he said.