Monday 1 March 2010

Bright Spark Bale Excites for Wales’ Future

WELSH starlet Gareth Bale's recent club form should give Wales manager John Toshack some hope going into tomorrow's friendly with Sweden, as well as the 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign.

The Tottenham Hotspur left back has been in startling form in the Premier League this season.

His recent first-team opportunities have come as a result of the injury to Benoit Assou-Ekotto, culminating in a match-winning performance at the weekend in Spurs's 2-1 victory over Everton.

This will hopefully brighten up the mood of Welsh fans after the horrific injury Aaron Ramsey suffered last Saturday.



After some scintillating performances for Southampton, Bale moved to White Hart Lane for £10 million in June 2007. After some promising performances, which included three goals in his first four games, he suffered ankle-ligament damage after a heavy challenge by Birmingham's Fabrice Muamba.

The injury ended his season and pushed him down Spurs’s pecking order.

Bale also had the unenviable record of not being involved in a winning-Tottenham side in the league for his first two years at the club, a fact which did not change until his 25th appearance against Burnley as a substitute.

He failed to establish himself at White Hart Lane and questions over his ability to fulfil his potential began resonating on the terraces. But Assou-Ekotto's injury at the end of 2009 gave the Welshman his chance in the first team and he has improved game-on-game, playing a pivotal role in Tottenham's attacking play.

His defensive game has also improved dramatically, progression which is beginning to justify the huge price tag and attention he received three years ago.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is delighted with the way Bale has been performing recently, and with the return to fitness of Assou-Ekotto, Redknapp faces a difficult selection problem.

He said: "It's a massive dilemma - two great left-backs, but what a smashing dilemma to have.

"Gareth has done brilliantly, but Benoit is also a top, top player. We're very lucky in that position."

Bale quickly graduated from the Wales under-21 side to become the country's youngest full international when he came off the bench against Trinidad and Tobago in June 2006, aged just 16. Since then he has won a total of 23 caps and is expected to start again tomorrow.

With Ramsey sidelined indefinitely, Bale will need to impose himself on the international scene along with other youngsters like Sheffield United's Ched Evans, Chris Gunter and Simon Church if Wales has any genuine hope of qualifying for only their second major-international competition and their first since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

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