Gareth Bale calls himself a 'Tottenham fan' during interview
Manchester United had a bid of around £4million rejected for Gareth Bale when the Welshman was a junior at Southampton. The 30-year-old went on to become one of the best wingers in the world.
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“I was always a manager who looked towards young players and the academy," Burley added.
“Southampton had a multitude of good, young promising players.
"Theo Walcott was the young player people were always speaking about when I initially took over as manager, and Gareth was another player that showed a lot of promise.
“Gareth from day one showed tremendous ability. He was a young player I enjoyed working with.
Gareth Bale made his professional debut under George Burley at Southampton (Image: GETTY)
"There’s no doubt there were a number of young players there and Gareth was probably the pick of the bunch.
“I had every confidence in Gareth. I was a full-back myself, an attacking full-back and so for me I really enjoyed him.”
Bale has struggled for fitness in the Spanish capital over recent years and could return to the Premier League this summer.