Wales international Gareth Bale has aimed a not-so-subtle dig at his former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho after his hat-trick against Sheffield United.
Bale was the star of the show in the 4-0 win over the Blades on Sunday, scoring his 12th, 13th and 14th goals of the season, with Heung-min Son in the supporting role also scoring to round out an impressive win for temporary boss Ryan Mason.
After the match Bale seemed to be taking a thinly-veiled dig at former boss Jose Mourinho, who was unexpectedly sacked by Spurs last month, with Bale having largely been used from the bench during his tenure.
Bale chirped that the side are ‘playing more like the Tottenham way’ in recent weeks.
“It was a great performance by the team”, said Bale to Sky Sports.
“From the first whistle, I felt we were on the front foot and got control of it and played some good football.
“I feel like we are taking a step in the right direction and playing more like the Tottenham way.”
Bale further commented on how much he has been playing of late, suggesting all he needed was a run of games to show his true quality.
“I’m feeling good,” he added.
“As I’ve said before, I just needed to play games and get a run of games. I’m doing that now, so I’m happy and when I’m happy I normally play well.”
It was only a couple of weeks ago Bale had indicated he would like to return to Real Madrid when his loan spell at Tottenham comes to an end.
Those comments came just days after Mourinho’s sacking, but the scenario now looks refreshingly different with Bale looking to be enjoying his football again and confirmed after the victory over the Blades that he is feeling good.
Should his progress under Mason continue to impress, the Welshman staying at Tottenham may not be as outlandish a thought or hope as some previously thought.
As was the case last summer, a lot will depend on whether Madrid will subsidise some of his wages for another loan move.
A permanent transfer would bring even more hurdles and is much more unlikely than another temporary deal.
Regardless, there may now be a chance that Bale remains at Tottenham for another season.