Jose Mourinho said on Monday he would step up Manchester United's pursuit of Gareth Bale if the Real Madrid winger was left out of the starting line-up in Tuesday's European Super Cup between the Red Devils and the Champions League holders.

Gareth Bale... Real Madrid winger.

Bale was once the world's most expensive player when he joined Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for 85.5 million pounds ($111 million), although his status in Madrid has fallen due to an injury-ravaged last campaign that saw him miss the starting line-up for the Champions League final win over Juventus.

Bale's Real future has been further cast into doubt by the club's reported pursuit of teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe of Monaco, although he is expected to start against United.

Mourinho said he would take the Wales international's absence as an invitation to lure him to Old Trafford.

"If he is not in the club's plans, that with the arrival of another player would mean he was on his way out. I will try to be waiting for him on the other side and fight with other coaches that would want him on their team," Mourinho told a news conference ahead of Tuesday's game in Skopje.

"If he's playing tomorrow, I wouldn't think of that, it would be because he's in the coach's plans and the club's plans, because he also has the motivation to continue at Real Madrid."