Bale offers even Mour
JOSE MOURINHO believes he now has Gareth Bale in the sort of shape to get into any team in the world.
The Welsh serial thriller hit two and made another for Harry Kane in Tottenham’s demolition of Burnley with Lucas Moura scoring the other.
And Mourinho later revealed Bale is set to play a significant role in the club’s final few months of the season.
He said: “There his not one single manager in the world who doesn’t play Gareth Bale if he is not in good condition. But now he is better than ever.
“Gareth is a very experienced guy. He knows his body better than anyone. It would be nice for me to say that I handled the situation amazingly well.
“I’m not that kind of guy. He knows we are here just to help him to be a happy football player and I’m really happy for him.”
Spurs had lost five of their previous six league
SERIAL THRILLER matches. But Bale revealed he has been motivated by the prospect of forming a formidable forward line with Kane and Son Heung Min to revive the club’s season.
He said: “Playing with them is why I came here and what I wanted to do. It’s great to be on the pitch and feeling good, hopefully we can kick on from this and get some confidence.”
Spurs go to Fulham on Thursday and host Crystal Palace three days later. Next week they face Dinamo Zagreb in the last 16 before the north London derby.
Mourinho will monitor midfielder Pierre Hojberg, who went down late on with an ankle injury.
DON HUTCHISON was among those to pay an emotional tribute to former West Ham boss Glenn Roeder, who died yesterday, aged 65.
Roeder, who played for QPR and Newcastle, worked as a coach under Glenn Hoddle with England and managed the Hammers, the Magpies, Gillingham, Watford and Norwich, had been battling a brain tumour. Former Scotland star Hutchison, who played under Roeder at West Ham, shared a memory from their time working together at West Ham.
Hutchison tweeted: “I’ll never ever forget when my dad was passing away. The gaffer told me to get in my car to Newcastle and go see him quick. Glenn was on the phone with me for all five hours of my journey! Sleep well gaffa. My thoughts are with his family.”
A statement from the east London club said they were “deeply saddened” and ex-England striker Gary Lineker called Roeder “a real football man who had a great career both on the field and in the dugout”.
Norwich keeper Tim Krul, who played under Roeder at Newcastle in 2006-07, tweeted his tribute to “the man who believed in me and who gave me my @NUFC debut”.
Roeder captained QPR in the 1982 FA Cup Final against Spurs and to the Second Division title in 1983. At Newcastle he made 219 appearances and led them to promotion from the Second Division in 1984.