GARETH BALE is BACK - at least that what the Tottenham faithful think.
The Welsh wonder needed just 68 seconds to make an impact against Burnley.
And he soon marked his return to the starting line-up with an assist as well - all inside the opening quarter of an hour.
It was a dream start for Real Madrid loanee as he timed his run to perfection to meet Son Heung-Min's pass and stab past Nick Pope from close range.
Jose Mourinho insisted the superstar’s goal against Wolfsberger in the Europa League on Wednesday showed he is finally playing with freedom again.
Form and fitness restricted Bale, 31, to just two Prem starts since he rejoined the Londoners in September.
But he was handed a chance to impress today against Sean Dyche’s strugglers.
And it took just over a minute for him to make an impression with his first touch.
Moments later he provided the pass for Harry Kane to double Tottenham’s advantage.
It was everything Mourinho would have wanted from Bale.
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He said pre-match: “Gareth is a player with quality who can help us. He has previously done well in the Europa League and he is fresh for a Premier League start.
“His last one was Brighton away so a few weeks later here he is. Hopefully he can make the team better.”
And that blistering start, along with his display in midweek, have convinced many the forward is finally firing on all-cylinders.
Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith said: “He looks fitter and, more importantly, a lot sharper now.”
And the club’s supporters, who witness Lucas Moura added a third before the break, quickly swarmed onto Twitter to hail their star:
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