Soccer: Youngster has more than won his spurs

The past week was training as normal for Harry Redknapp's Tottenham squad with the exception of one man who has, over the past 10 months, earned the right to be treated differently.

Gareth Bale was given the week off simply on the basis that Redknapp wanted to ensure his young star was fresh for either Old Trafford last night or the Champions League return match with Inter Milan on Wednesday morning (NZT).

While most holidaying Premier League stars head for Dubai, Bale went home to the Whitchurch suburb of Cardiff where he grew up as the only child of Frank, a former school caretaker, and Debbie.

Bale has had a remarkable year. Firmly established as one of the pre-eminent young players in Europe, although he only properly broke into the Spurs team in January, the challenges just keep coming. After Manchester United overnight, Spurs turn their attentions to the visit of Inter to White Hart Lane.

The match against United has particular resonance because Bale is exactly the kind of exceptional British player United always used to sign and, given their recent public reprimand from Wayne Rooney, will presumably try to do so again. But Bale turned down the chance to go to United when he left Southampton in 2007.

Huw Jennings oversaw the player's development at Southampton and was there when the club sold him to Spurs in a deal worth up to £10m. "I think the right phrase is that they 'flirted' with looking at Gareth," he said. "I don't think there was a concrete offer for him. There remained a certain amount of doubt [over whether United really wanted the player]."

It was a concern over whether he would get a chance in the first team that convinced Bale he would be better served joining Spurs than United. Now the tables are turned. Should he leave Spurs, he could go anywhere in Europe.

Former England international Tim Sherwood, who works at Spurs with young players bridging the gap from academy to first team, says he uses the example of Bale to the aspiring young footballers under his charge.

"He grabbed his chance with both hands," Sherwood said. "He is proof that if you get in and do well the manager will stick with you. Having said that, he is better than anyone I ever played with.

"He has seriously got potentially everything as long as he keeps his feet on the ground, but that's not a big worry for us. He's a lovely lad. You aren't going to be reading about Gareth on the front page of newspapers - he has got no interest in that side of it. He just lives for the game."

The hat-trick against Inter in Milan was the high point so far of Bale's annus mirabilis and further proof he is very strong late in games. Sherwood describes those long runs of Bale down the wing before he cuts inside at goal as his "lung-bursters".

"When he goes over those long distances his energy is second to none. People can't stay with him.

"He trains magnificently, in fact he trains like he plays, up and down the touchline.

"His stats from the game are ridiculous. He just blows up the whole thing. We use GPS systems now to track the players' movements and Gareth's has smoke coming out of it. It doesn't just tell us how much running he has done but how many high-intensity runs he has made. He does more than anyone and I don't just mean in our club but the Premier League as well."

Given that his development has come in fits and starts - last season, he did not start a Premier League game for Spurs until January - it is not so surprising to learn Bale nearly missed the cut at Southampton, aged 16. Jennings recalls that when he was in charge of deciding who got scholarships, Bale was, "borderline".

"He was struggling for at least 18 months. I remember a meeting with his parents and his mother Debbie was absolutely passionate that he should be given his chance. The memory of how she argued for him will stay with me for a long time.

"We gave him a couple of games for the under-18s after Christmas to see if he could prove himself. We played away in an FA Youth Cup game in Norwich and he did exceptionally well. He earned his scholarship that day.

"It was touch and go for a while. It wouldn't have been the finest moment of my career if I had let Gareth Bale go ... We think we have a secret formula for developing young players but really we all need a bit of good fortune."

Yesterday Redknapp repeated a familiar refrain about Bale. "People say is he for sale - no, he isn't. This is where he needs to stay to keep improving and take Tottenham to where we want to go."

Redknapp is getting fed up with the assumption Bale is bound for bigger things. But he has become so good, so quickly, that another match-winning display could make the momentum irresistible.

- INDEPENDENT