Andre Villas-Boas has said that Gareth Bale can reach his potential if he remains in the Premier League.

The Tottenham Hotspur forward, who has 23 goals in all competitions this season, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer.

The Spurs manager told reporters: "I think for a player to develop to his full potential, it can be done perfectly in this league.

"I think Gareth has that in mind, not only regarding Spurs but regarding this league too. We have the best league in the world in my opinion. The best clubs are continuing to attract the best players over.

"We don't want Gareth to go by any circumstances. I have told you in the past that our chairman is very, very difficult to deal with. We will try to hold on to our assets. We believe that we have to hold on to the best players in order to achieve our objectives."

Earlier, Bale and Villas-Boas were announced as the Premier League player and manager of the month respectively.