I always believed in Bale, says Spurs defender

Kaboul first moved to Tottenham in July 2007, two months after Bale’s arrival, and the French defender was making his fourth Spurs appearance when the young Welshman scored his first Tottenham goal – a free kick against Arsenal.

Having moved to Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth and then back again, Kaboul is adamant that he always expected great things of Bale, and he believes that the sky is the limit for his prodigious team-mate.

“Gareth is absolutely amazing. You know, when I played with him three years ago – when they signed him – I knew straight away that he was a big player with a big future. For me, he’s the best player in Europe in his position,” said the

24-year-old.

“In the past he had a lot of injuries and that stopped him – his condition. But now he’s strong, he’s not getting injured any more and he’s just the best.

“It’s not a surprise because he’s powerful, he’s got everything and for any right-back it’s very difficult. I’m glad he’s on my side.

“You can’t forget that he’s only 21. Can you believe that? So he’s still got another 15 years or so in front of him – that’s unbelievable. At a professional level, I’ve never seen anyone better, no-one.”

While Bale has stolen the headlines in recent weeks, Kaboul has also become a Spurs regular, starting the last five games – including the 3-1 win over Inter Milan.

The Frenchman was partly to blame for Sunderland’s equaliser on Tuesday night but

Redknapp – who signed him for Portsmouth and then brought him back to Spurs – feels his defender has a bright future.

“Younes Kaboul is looking like the player that I feel he could become,” he said. “He’s got the potential to be top-class, there’s no doubt about that. He’s got everything to be an outstanding central defender.

“He’s got great pace, he’s fantastic in the air, he can pass, can play. It’s all there for him. He’s just got to make sure his concentration levels stay good.”