<p>LONDON — Call it a raised-eyebrow emoji by Jose Mourinho.</p>
<p>The Tottenham manager said Gareth Bale’s recent Instagram post — an encouraging fitness update from the player complete with a flexed bicep emoji — was a “contradiction.”</p>
<p>Bale missed the FA Cup game on Wednesday against Everton after reporting an unspecified injury.</p>
<p>Mourinho addressed Bale’s status again on Friday, a day before Spurs visit English Premier League leader Manchester City.</p>
<p>“I hope that the press conference is about the game and not about individuals," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4ucusu84Q">Mourinho began</a>, “but I have to admit that his post created a need of being addressed because (there) was a contradiction between the post and the reality.”</p>
<p>Mourinho added, “I try to be very private … but I felt that I needed to address the situation.</p>
<p>“Probably the post was not even his responsibility, I don’t know. But the post was showing that ‘training session great so I’m ready’ and was totally wrong."</p>
<p>Bale’s post said: “Good session today."</p>
<p>The Wales international’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/la-liga-gareth-bale-sports-europe-jose-mourinho-fdc2cb7a00fdc19a9f1701b83b391ab8">second spell at Tottenham</a> has been underwhelming.</p>
<p>Bale has appeared in only six of Tottenham’s 22 games in the Premier League after securing a season-long loan in September from Real Madrid, where he had become an outcast. Just two of those have been starts.</p>
<p>The manager said Bale asked for and received a scan, which “didn’t show an injury.”</p>
<p>“We have a training session in the afternoon to see if he feels ready or not,” Mourinho said on Friday.</p>
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