Gareth Bale is happy at Real Madrid and is not going to leave for Manchester United, new Wales boss Ryan Giggs has said.

There has been persistent speculation linking Bale with a switch from the Santiago Bernabeu to Old Trafford, the Wales star's career having been beset by injuries in recent times.

He has made just 10 LaLiga appearances this season but suggested he was back to his best with two goals in a 7-1 demolition of Deportivo La Coruna, which Madrid followed up with a 4-1 win over Valencia.

And Giggs expects Bale to remain with Zinedine Zidane's men despite rumours to the contrary.

"He's happy at Real Madrid, he wants to stay, there's no doubt. He knows that the coach and the club respect him and he wants to show the fans what he is capable of," Giggs told Marca.

"Bale has no intention of leaving and Real Madrid won't sell the player. It's clear that United would've been very good for him, but I don't think that's an option at the moment, he's not going to leave Real Madrid."

On Bale's injury issues, Giggs added: "I played more than 1,000 games and I didn't achieve it without managing myself properly, without listening to my body.

"It is essential that the player knows how far he can go. At the beginning of my career I had hamstring problems and I missed a lot of United games, but I beat them.

"What I have told Gareth is that he must be calm and the rest will come. I know it's not easy to do it, but you don't have to be obsessed.

"Bale is a great player, one of the best, and for us [Wales], as has been demonstrated in recent months, he is fundamental. It's clear that the team comes first, but in that team we need the best players and Bale is the best.

"Gareth is a player who unbalances opponents. When he has been able to demonstrate his quality at Real Madrid, he has shown that his style of football is fundamental to winning games."

Asked where Bale is in comparison to Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, Giggs said: "Gareth works hard to be the best.

"I think that today Messi and Ronaldo are above the rest, as they have been demonstrating for the last ten years."