Ryan Mason lauds Gareth Bale after Spurs win over Southampton

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Ryan Mason has lauded Gareth Bale following Tottenham Hotspur’s win over Southampton on Wednesday, labelling the Welshman’s contribution ‘absolutely outstanding’ – in comments reported by Football London.

With Harry Kane sidelined, Mason handed Bale a start for his first game in charge. It was the 31-year-old’s first start since the North London derby more than a month ago.

It threatened to be another frustrating time for Spurs as they went a goal down. However, Tottenham turned the game around – and Bale was pivotal to their comeback.

The forward scored a delicious equaliser, curling the ball in at the far post on the hour-mark.

Bale was excellent for much of the game. He caused a number of problems for the Southampton defence, and he created a lot of openings for the home side.

And Mason suggested that he could not ask for more from the attacker.

“Gareth’s an exceptional player, he’s had an exceptional career,” he said, as reported by Football London. “Especially when you don’t have Harry in the team you need someone who can produce moments in the final third.

“That was the decision for Gareth today, and thankfully he’s repaid that, the effort he’s showed and the quality for the finish was absolutely outstanding.”

TBR View: Bale display an exciting hint of what may be to come

Bale has shown just how important he can be if he is at his best. Unfortunately, he was unable to produce that sort of form on a consistent basis during Mourinho’s tenure – probably due to a couple of reasons.

Spurs have much bigger challenges ahead. So fans may not be getting carried away with what they saw from Bale.

But if his display is a sign of what is to come, there is a good chance that he could have a huge role to play in the final weeks of the season.