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Owen Hargreaves has explained that he still feels Tottenham star Gareth Bale is in the world’s elite players when it comes to talent, but recognises that he’s not currently showing that.

Bale left the Premier League and Spurs a superstar back in 2013, which lead to him becoming a four-time Champions League winner with Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The Welsh attacker returned to North London in the summer on loan from Madrid, as he aimed to rediscover the kind of form that once saw him ranked as one of the very best.

But the 31-year-old has had a fairly slow start with Jose Mourinho’s side this season, scoring two goals in 10 games across all competitions.

The left-footer has had very few opportunities to impress in the Premier League XI, but will be hoping he gets the chance on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals away to Stoke City.

Hargreaves has given his honest verdict on Bale when discussing him:

“I still think he’s one of the best players with the ball to his feet, but I think it hasn’t really worked the way we envisione,” Hargreaves said.

“I think Gareth, in terms of his talent, is still probably one of the top 10 players in the world, but he’s not playing like that.”

TBR’s View:

It’s hard to say Bale is still one of the most talented footballers in the world based off the lack of football in the past 18 months, but there is no denying he was once in the top, top bracket.

He’s finding it hard to break into Mourinho’s XI right now and that is perhaps due to the sheer physical demands he places on his wide players to work both defensively and offensively.

The attacker perhaps suits a central role more at this stage in his career and he may be frustrated with his minimal impact so far, but there is still a long way left in this season where the manager will need to rely on his squad.