Tim Sherwood compares Andros Townsend to Gareth Bale

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Tim Sherwood has compared Andros Townsend to Gareth Bale ahead of the winger's return to the first-team squad.

Sherwood believes that Townsend, who has been out since December with a hamstring injury, can change games for Spurs in the same way Bale did before his record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid in the summer.

"I think whenever you've got a player like Andros, he can change a game in an instant," Sherwood told reporters.

"He gets you off your seat and is exciting to watch. He had a great start to the season. We're just hoping he can pick up that tempo again and drive on.

"Andros can do something different. He can go past people, turn a bad performance into a fantastic result like Gareth Bale did last year."

Spurs face Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.