Tottenham manager vows not to sell hat-trick hero Bale

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp vowed not to sell hat-trick hero Gareth Bale for any figure after the Welshman lit up the San Siro in the Champions League.

Spurs hit back from a 4-0 half-time deficit and the early sending off of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes as Bale stunned the holders Inter Milan with a brilliant treble in the second period.

And although Spurs didn’t win, the form of Bale gave Redknapp hope for the future.

But he said there’s no chance he’d be selling his star player.

“Tottenham is a club looking to prgress, not sell its best players. If we sell Gareth Bale it would send out the wrong signal,” he said.

“We’re not a selling club, he’s a player to build the team around. If Tottenham progress and become a Champions League team on a regular basis, he’ll be a big part of that.

“He just gets on with it, you couldn’t meet a nicer boy, he’s happy where he is, he’s developing as a player in every game.

“He’s improving, we still don’t know if he’ll be a left-back or a left side (midfielder), he can do both well.

“This is where he belongs, where he’ll progress. The club never would or should contemplate selling him.

“We’re looking to improve the club not sell when we get an offer for one of our very best players.”

As for the game, Redknapp said they had a awful start but he was pleased with their reaction.

Inter captain Javier Zanetti became the oldest Champions League goalscorer at 37 years 71 days when he notched in the second minute.

Gomes was then sent off for bringing down Jonathan Biabiany in the area with Samuel Eto’o dispatching the spot-kick.

Dejan Stankovic and Eto’o again seemed to have ended the game before half-time but that was before Bale’s second half fireworks.

“At half time we’d have all gone home at 4-0 for sure, we could see more damage coming in the second,” said Redknapp.

“We’d just started the game, and in the first minute we didn’t run with Zanetti and we were 1-0 down, then the keeper was sent off, it was my worst nightmare.

“In the second we stayed with two wide men and one up front and Gareth Bale turned in an amazing second half performance to socre a hat-trick, it was amazing.

“He’s an amazing young player, he plays left back, wide left, scores goals, can run all day.

“Even in the first half he gave their right back a torrid time and he (Maicon) is one of the best in world probably.

“Even in the first half every time we got it out to Gareth he gave him problems and I thought Aaron Lennon was the same on the other side. We gave them problems and I hope we do the same at White Hart Lane (in two weeks).

“We didn’t defend well with no pressure on the ball and we struggled. When you get off to a bad start like that, two goals down and your goalkeeper sent off, it’s very difficult for the next 80 minutes.

“In the second we steadied the ship, we hung in there, they didn’t create much and to get three goals gave us bit of a lift in the end.”

Inter boss Rafael Benitz was disappointed with his side’s second half but preferred to focus mostly on the positives.

“We can’t afford to lose the ball as we did against a team like this that plays with intensity, we have to keep the ball like we did in the first half,” he moaned.

“But I look at the positives, we’ve got seven points, we won, we’ll work to improve after winning a difficult game.

“We knew Tottenham were a good team and we did a great first half.”

Inter lead the group by three points from Spurs with FC Twente and Werder Bremen two points further back.