John Toshack has hit back at Championship managers who want him to leave their players out of Wales' two crunch Euro 2008 qualifiers.

The Wales boss was initially responding to claims from Saints boss George Burley in last week's Daily Echo that 17-year-old Gareth Bale - a £10million target for both Manchester United and Tottenham - is approaching burn-out in his first full season.

Burley claims left-back Bale is worn out mentally and physically and would be happier if the youngster does not play against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday or in next Wednesday's match in Cardiff against San Marino.

Now Toshack has claimed Burley is not the only club manager leaning on him to spare their players from international duty as the race to reach the Premiership reaches its climax.

Toshack said: ''Bale has played virtually every game for Southampton since October, but the last couple of friendlies for us we have not played him. We felt it was best to leave him out.

''Maybe he could have been rested a bit more by his club over the last few months".

Toshack insists Bale is now his first choice left-back, adding: ''He was Southampton's best player when I last saw him.

"Now he has had Saturday, Sunday and Monday without training to get his rest, and he has had a couple of light sessions since.

''We feel he will be okay for Saturday. We play about 10 games a season, and I have never heard of international managers being asked by clubs to rest their players.

''George Burley, though, is not the only one. There has been a few. The Championship is so tight and there is a mad rush on for promotion places, you could see it coming before Christmas".

He continued: ''I can understand club managers, I have been in that situation myself at various clubs.

"We have left Gareth out of friendly games, but in these two matches we have got to put out our best side.

''It has been a long season for everybody. A lot of players are feeling tired or carrying niggling injuries.

"You can understand managers getting a bit nervous at this stage of the season, with them seeing chances they thought they had now slipping away.

''There's four or five clubs in the same situation. But we have already found ourselves going into qualifying games this season suddenly without half a dozen players, but they all seem to be playing the next game for their clubs.

''We cannot afford at this stage to be resting players. We have been pushing young players through for this very reason, these are the games that they will learn a lot from.

''We feel that everyone here is fit to play, and that includes Gareth Bale".

Toshack has a dozen players in his squad from the Championship, with Cardiff pair Paul Parry and Joe Ledley involved, while West Brom, Derby and Sunderland all have key promotion battles straight after the international break.

But Toshack would not reveal the other clubs who have pressured him, saying: ''Gareth hasn't missed many games for Southampton, we have done our bit. There are other teams in the Championship who are fighting for promotion too, and they come on and say the same thing about their lads.

''If we leave all of them out we are down to half a team.

''George wants his best team out because they are going for promotion. I understand how he feels. But Gareth is in our starting line-up on merit.

''I have been in clubs where 13 players have gone away with their countries. But there is so much more made of this in the UK, you never get it abroad.

''In Turkey they even call the games off so that the international side can benefit. You would never see managers thinking of questioning the international manager taking players away.

''It is accepted far easier than it is here. Abroad managers wouldn't think of challenging international managers".

He added: ''I know Championship managers want me to leave players out, but they understand these are qualifiers not friendlies.

"The clubs have important games next Saturday and they will only see their players for a couple of days.

''Of course that is a worry. You wonder if your players will come back fit. I understand, I felt the same way as a manager.

''But what can we do? I know what the players' bread and butter is, but if we cannot forget about Championships, play-offs, Champions League and so on for 10 days and concentrate on what we are doing, then we are all wasting our time.

''It is not as if they are friendlies, we have to make use of our best players in qualifiers".

Wales will travel to Dublin tomorrow, and Toshack will send Yeovil's ex-Saint Arron Davies and Shrewsbury's David Edwards back to their clubs to play in league matches before returning to the squad on Sunday.