Gareth Bale urges Tottenham Hotspur to stick by "great" Andre Villas-Boas

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has urged his former club Tottenham Hotspur to persevere with "great" Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese manager has seen his position at White Hart Lane come under scrutiny over the last seven days following the 6-0 demolition at the hands of Manchester City, with a string of high-profile names linked with replacing the former Chelsea boss.

However, the Welshman - who hit 26 goals under Villas-Boas last term en route to sealing a world-record £86m move to the Spanish capital - believes that the 36-year-old has what it takes to spark an upturn in fortunes for the club.

Speaking to BT Sport, Bale said: "I think he should be given time. I think he's a great manager - he showed that last year.

"They're going through a little bit of a bad patch at the moment but I'm sure he's a good enough manager to pull everybody through, get out the other side and hopefully go on a good run now, catch up the rest and have a good season.

The North London outfit remain ninth in the Premier League following the 2-2 draw with champions Manchester United in the English capital this afternoon.