Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas in U-turn over Gareth Bale sale

Welsh winger continues to sparkle for Spurs

Gareth Bale celebrates his goal against Liverpool (GETTY IMAGES)

The Tottenham Hotspur manager, Andre Villas-Boas, has performed a U-turn over Gareth Bale by insisting that the Wales winger’s long-term future is at the club.

Villas-Boas put a host of European clubs on high alert on Wednesday, after Bale’s man-of-the-match performance had inspired his side to a 2-1 win, by revealing that Tottenham were aware they would have to sell Bale eventually. “We understand a player like this will have propositions, have a market,” he said.

But the Portuguese backtracked yesterday when he said: “Like all of our key players, Gareth is on a long-term contract as we continue to build for the future. We have no intention of letting any of our top players go.”