England coach 'envious' that Gareth Bale is Welsh
England scout Jimmy Gilligan says that national team coach Fabio Capello is likely to be jealous that Tottenham Hotspur starlet Gareth Bale is Welsh rather than English.
The 21-year-old has come to prominence in recent weeks for a string of outstanding displays.
He announced his presence on the world stage in emphatic form when he scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 loss against European champions Inter Milan in a UEFA Champions League tie.
Bale reaffirmed his status as an exciting talent when he excelled in the return game at White Hart Lane two weeks later on Tuesday 2 November. He caused no end of trouble to Inter right-back Maicon Douglas Sisenando – widely regarded as one of the best players
in that position in the world – and created two assists in a memorable 3-1 win.
Gilligan, an English Football Association scout who works with Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce – added to the plaudits the Welshman has received for his performances.
He told reporters that: "I presume we probably are jealous that he is Welsh, to be quite truthful. If you are an international manager you would want the best players available...And a left-back of that calibre, I think any international team would want
him in their side as it was another fine display on Tuesday.
"I really do believe that at the moment he is playing at the top of the tree as his performances have been excellent over the last four or five months for Tottenham. And Tuesday night's performance was out of this world. The two deliveries that he has put
in for two of the goals, it is just what any kind of striker would want."
Bale, who joined Spurs from Southampton in 2007, played 24 English Premier League games for Spurs without being on the winning team, but that statistic is largely forgotten now that he is an important player for the club.
Gilligan added that: "If you remember when he first joined them he struggled to hold down a first team place. So credit to the staff at Tottenham and Gareth himself as he has done absolutely brilliantly."
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