Sky Sports pundits Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher have given their verdict on Gareth Bale's Tottenham Hotspur return.
Bale has rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid - seven years after leaving the club to sign for the Spanish giants in what was at the time a world record transfer deal worth £85million.
Tottenham fans will be hoping the Wales ace can rekindle some of the form that first made him one of the hottest properties in world football.
Richards recalled coming up against Bale during his Manchester City days - and two very different experiences.
“I played against Gareth Bale many moons ago now at Southampton," he said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football programme.
"He was playing left-back and I was playing right-back. There was a big spread in the paper - ‘Richards vs Bale’. Let’s say I got the better of him, I probably ate him for lunch.
"So, then, forward a few seasons, he goes to Spurs. Subconsciously, I’m thinking: ‘It’s only Gareth Bale, I can deal with him, I’ve had him at Southampton'.
"It was a massive, massive mistake. He destroyed me. If it wasn’t for Joe Hart in that game... I remember it, first game of the season, 0-0 at White Hart Lane.
"Pace, power, fitness, I always thought as a defender, hit him hard early doors and they wouldn't come back. But he kept coming back and coming back and coming back.
"If Spurs get even 70% of Bale, they’ll be a great team.”
Former Liverpool defender Carragher believes Spurs' other star names could take some of the pressure off Bale this time around.
“I think there’s two points. The first point is: They’re not getting the same player as he was at his peak, but they don’t need that," he said.
"If they get the guy who is getting a goal or an assist every 146 minutes - don’t forget what they’ve already got in the team with Kane and with Son, they’ve got huge numbers.
"He won’t be the ‘go-to man’ like he was before. What he could do, you see Son and Kane, really high numbers, look at the guy who is playing on the right wing now - Lucas - he doesn't get anywhere near enough goals.
"If Gareth Bale just brought those numbers and never got back to what he was like at Spurs, I think that gives Spurs a real chance of propelling themselves into that top four because at the moment, they look a bit shaky defensively, but in terms of getting the goals they need to make the Champions League positions, if you just add his numbers from the last four years, and fingers crossed for everyone, because we want him to come into the league and rip it up, going past full-backs like Micah and make it tough for them, if he can do that, then fantastic.
"But if he can just supplement the other two - they’ve got a great chance."
