Martin Keown has warned Gareth Bale about the honeymoon period at Tottenham.
It has been an emotional return to the club where he became a star after falling out with Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman had no intention of using the forward and allowed him to leave on loan.
Jose Mourinho, an avid fan for many years, was desperate to sign the Welshman and Spurs happily obliged.
And Bale was more than happy to make the move but injury has prevented him from making his second debut just yet.
But the 31-year-old has been back in training this week and could feature against West Ham on Sunday.
Bale was all smiles when spotted with his new team-mates and there is a feel-good factor at Tottenham at the moment after beating Manchester United 6-1.
However, former Arsenal star Keown has offered a word of caution.
He told the Daily Mail: "When I went home to Arsenal after seven years away, I found next to nothing had changed. Apart from the odd alteration, Highbury was the same and so was the training ground.
"Gareth Bale has arrived back at Tottenham after seven years to a brand new stadium and a state-of-the-art training base. It is very different to what he will remember when he said goodbye in 2013.
"Crucially, the supporters are the same. I had to win the fans over — some weren’t pleased I had left for Aston Villa in the first place.
"But Bale is being welcomed back with open arms. He’s the superstar who left so that he could win everything with Real Madrid.
"This is his honeymoon period, but I’m sure he realises the supporters will be looking for something special from him on the pitch.
"I found myself trying too hard in my first few matches and Bale has to be careful.
"Anyone who has appeared in both the Premier League and La Liga will tell you which one is the more demanding and the Welshman hasn’t played regularly for some time."
Bale has endured a tough time with injuries over the years and Keown insisted Tottenham must take care to not overwork the Wales international.
He added: "I’m sure Jose Mourinho will be thinking about managing his minutes and Spurs’ medical team will be all over it, too.
"They handled Harry Kane’s return from a nasty injury with great care.
"Bale will have watched his new team tear apart Manchester United — the club he could have joined instead — and felt he made the right call.
"He will want to get on the pitch and join the party but he needs to go easy. At 31, he is young enough to achieve big things with Tottenham."
