Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett has raved about Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale in The Times and is impressed by how he has progressed from his days at Southampton.
Targett has said that he went to watch Bale when the Real Madrid-owned winger was at Southampton.
The 25-year-old right-back came through the youth academy at Southampton and played for the first team before making the move to Villa in 2019.
Bale also rose through the ranks at Southampton and earned the move to Spurs in 2007.
The 31-year-old joined Madrid in 2013 and returned to Tottenham on loan in the summer of 2020.
Targett told The Times: “I had a season ticket to Southampton, so I used to go and watch Gareth. It’s amazing to see how his career developed and he went on to do such amazing things. He was like a role model to me.”
Matt Targett and Gareth Bale Stats
Targett has been a big player for Villa this season and is the first-choice left-back for Dean Smith’s side.
According to WhoScored, the former England Under-21 international has provided one assist in 22 Premier League games for the Villans this season.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the 25-year-old scored one goal and provided two assists in 28 league matches for Villa, according to WhoScored.
According to WhoScored, Bale has scored one goal in seven Premier League matches, and has scored two goals and provided one assist in seven Europa League matches for Spurs this season.
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