Former Aston Villa striker, Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that the reason we have not seen Gareth Bale run at defenders is due to his Tottenham teammates’ unwillingness to swiftly pass the ball to him.
There have been signs over the past couple of weeks that the Welshman is slowly but surely refinding his sharpness.
After coming off the bench to score Tottenham’s winner against Brighton with a well-placed header, Bale put in a very tidy display against Ludogorets in midweek.
Jose Mourinho has admitted that he does not want to take major risks with Bale by giving him ninety minutes as an injury set back could undo all the good work the 31-year-old has done since his return to Spurs (Football.London).
Agbonlahor knows only too well how devastating Bale can be when he is at his best, with the wide man putting Aston Villa to the sword on many occasions during his first spell at the club.
However, he admitted that he is frustrated that we have not really see Bale run at defenders as of yet.
Speaking to Football Insider, the former England striker said: “It’s a bit frustrating for me because I just want to see Bale play.
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“I’m watching the games and Bale’s not starting, he’s not the first sub on and I’m like ‘come on, get him on’, he finally comes on [against Brighton] and he scores a goal.
“We’ve not yet seen him get the ball and run with it. No one’s passing the ball to him and he’s not getting the chance to run at people. That’s what everyone wants to see.
“What is Gareth Bale like when he gets the ball and runs at people? That’s where people make their judgments of him.
“Yes, it’s a great header but people want to see can Gareth Bale get the ball, take a player on and smash it into the top corner. That’s what people want to see. We don’t know how fit he is, Jose is taking his time to bring him in.
“If they can get a Bale who is three-quarters of the Bale we’re used to seeing then he’s going to be a major player.”
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