Harry Redknapp: Jose Mourinho should give Gareth Bale a confidence boost

Speaking to Sky Sports via Football 365 (h/t Daily Mail), former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp believes Jose Mourinho should give Gareth Bale a confidence boost.

The Welsh superstar made a much-hyped return to Spurs on loan last summer. However, he has failed to hit the ground running and is a pale shadow of the player who left us back in 2013.

Bale has so far made 15 appearances for us across all competitions, scoring four goals. While his return isn’t the worst, he has largely struggled to make things tick on the pitch.

“You’ve got to get into him, tell him how good he is, get him out on the training ground, put a dummy against him, get the worst player you’ve got to defend against him, and keep giving Gareth the ball.”

Bale made just his second Premier League start on the weekend against Brighton. It was a forgettable night for both Bale and Spurs as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat. Redknapp believes Bale did not do worse than any other player on the field.

“He didn’t play well against Brighton, but who did?”

Redknapp believes Bale, at 31, still has a number of years left in him. He believes Mourinho should talk up the Welshman, urging him to improve his performances. As someone who managed the player earlier in his career, we would like to think Redknapp’s advice comes from experience.

“Tell him you’re going great, I want to get you going. He can play, he’s a fantastic talent.”

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While we hope Bale succeeds, his performances so far have much to be desired. Redknapp is right in asserting that Bale was once one of the top players in the world. The sad truth is that he isn’t one anymore. Holding him up to the same standards was always going to see us end up disappointed.

It is up to the manager and the coaches to help bring out the best in Bale as things stand. The 31-year-old still has it in him to be an effective player.