Gareth Bale says experience: Tottenham is the best club i have ever played for……

Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale endured a rather strange summer transfer window.

At one stage he looked a certainty to leave the La Liga giants following comments made by Zinedine Zidane following a pre-season fixture against Bayern Munich.

A move to China was planned, only for Los Blancos to have a change of heart at the last minute.

As a result, Bale has gone from being cast aside by Zidane to an important player for the Frenchman in the early stages of the new season.

In fact, the Welshman rescued Real Madrid from defeat away at Villarreal last week with a brace in the 2-2 draw – a game also saw the 30-year-old sent-off for two bookable offences.

With time to reflect on what was a whirlwind summer, Bale has revealed that a similar experience when he was at White Hart Lane under Harry Redknapp helped him to prepare for the situation.

“It’s obviously not been great,” he said. “But I remember not playing for a year under Harry Redknapp (at Spurs).

“It’s not been ideal but I have been here before, I know how to deal with it. It’s about keeping the head down and working hard and I think you always get rewarded for the work you put in.

“I had a good pre-season in terms of training – not so much in games – then started the season well. Things in football I know can turn quickly. It’s a matter of time always.”

“I feel good. I feel probably stronger than ever at the moment,” he added.

“When you get older you learn from mistakes in the past, doing a bit more prevention work in the gym and keeping yourself fitter.

“I feel in very good shape, hopefully I can stay on top of that and keep playing well.