Sh2.5 million every 60 seconds - Numbers behind Gareth Bale's abysmal Tottenham return

Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - February 7, 2021 Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale warms up on the sideline during the match [Pool via REUTERS/Matt Dunham]

It's fair to say that Gareth Bale's return to Tottenham has not gone at all according to plan so far.

There was a huge amount of fanfare in the summer when it was announced the Welsh forward would be re-joining his former side on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.

Big things were expected of the 31-year-old, but he has come nowhere near to repeating the stunning performances he produced on a regular basis in his first spell in North London.

There are rumours of a fall-out between him and manager Jose Mourinho, and it is looking increasingly unlikely Bale will stay beyond the end of the current campaign.

It is certainly a dramatic fall from the grace - and the numbers demonstrate just what a disastrous move it has been for Bale and Spurs so far.

As reported by The Sun, with Spurs paying Bale an eye-watering £250,000-per-week, it means each of his paltry four goals have cost the club a staggering £3.4m each.

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Wycombe Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur - Adams Park, High Wycombe, Britain - January 25, 2021 Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring their first goal [REUTERS/Hannah Mckay]

He has made only 15 appearances in all competitions, with a total of 785 minutes of football under his belt.

And that means for every 60 seconds played Bale has earned £17,400

That figure is even more shocking when you consider purely Premier League matches, in which Bale has played just 231 minutes across six matches and has therefore earned an unthinkable £59,000 per minute.

It remains to be seen if he returns to the Spurs squad to take on Manchester City on Saturday after being left out in the 5-4 FA Cup fifth round defeat to Everton on Wednesday.

But Mourinho appeared to hit out at the star when explaining his absence, saying he was "surprised" by his "desire" to work with the sports science team rather than training as normal when he felt muscular discomfort on Tuesday.