Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has insisted that he did not try to sell Gareth Bale while he was in charge of the club.
Bale experienced a tough time at White Hart Lane following his move from Southampton where big things were expected of him.
The Premier League side failed to register a win in his first 24 appearances, leading some to question whether Redknapp was right to select him.
A foot injury and a knee ligament problem also hampered Bale’s development, keeping him sidelined for a large part of his first two years at White Hart Lane.
The Welshman had been linked with a £3million cut-price move to Birmingham City and also a potential loan spell away from North London to try and rebuild his career.
Bale eventually turned his career around at Spurs and earned himself a big money move to Real Madrid.
Redknapp told talkSPORT: “He was fantastic,”
“Maicon was supposed to be the best right-back in the world and he almost ended his career at the San Siro. He was amazing.
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“Someone came up with a rumour that I was trying to loan him out to Coventry or something, never at any time.
“I watched him play for Tottenham while I was manager of Portsmouth, in a game against Fulham, and I thought, ‘What a player this guy is’.”
After undergoing knee surgery in June 2009, Bale broke the losing curse in his first game back by playing as a left-back in a 5-0 victory against Burnley when he appeared as a late sub.
Redknapp added: “If he came on as sub he didn’t win, if he started we didn’t win.
“So I stuck him on against Burnley when we were 3-0 up with six minutes to go. I thought, ‘He can’t mess this up!’
“We got the win and he got the monkey off his back.”
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