Micah Richards has stated that it’s ‘not good enough’ that Gareth Bale has started only three Premier League games for Tottenham, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
The former right-back has also questioned how Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura start ahead of the Welsh speedster.
Over the weekend, Bale ripped it up against Burnley and scored a brace during Tottenham’s 4-0 win against Sean Dyche’s men.
But Richards thinks Bale’s recent progression and return to form could be a ‘little too late’ for Tottenham.
“That’s a cop-out for me,” said Richards. “Even if you start him and take him off after 60 minutes. That’s better than bringing him on for the last 10 or 30 minutes.
“Whilst I am in agreement with injuries. It has taken him a long time to going. But surely, is it three starts in the Premier League? Three starts? That’s not good enough. We can protect Mourinho all we want. I have been protecting him all season. I love Mourinho.
“But we talk about they cannot score goals and they are relying too much on Son and Kane. Well, hello, you have Bale there. He doesn’t need to be Bale of five or six years ago. But you put him in them areas, you don’t lose your finishing ability. You might lose your sharpness.
“No disrespect to Bergwijn. Do you want to play Bergwijn ahead of him? Do you want to play Moura ahead of him? No. Let’s be real now. He should have started more Premier League games and maybe it’s too little too late.”
Bale’s return to form is perhaps coming at the right time because this is where the fans want to see hope and form from the player.
And what’s around the corner? Big Premier League games, such as the North London derby, Europa League knockout matches and the League Cup final.
All perfect timing for Bale to work his magic in the big moments for Spurs.
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