Glenn Hoddle says that if Gareth Bale is to turn his back on Tottenham Hotspur, it should only be for Manchester United.

Welsh star Bale continues to be linked to a move to Real Madrid. And while former Spurs player and England coach Hoddle has no doubt that Bale would succeed at the Bernabeu eventually, he hopes the 23-year-old does not quit White Hart Lane just yet.

However, if Bale does have his heart set on leaving to play in the Champions League next season, Hoddle has advised him to consider Manchester United instead of Madrid.

"If he [Bale] does move, I think he will settle easier at another club in England,” Hoddle said in the British media.

"And the only ones he can realistically join are Manchester United and Manchester City.

"He could get Champions League football there. But I want him to stay at Tottenham.

"He is still young enough to secure a move abroad later in life when he could cope better with it.”

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas continues to insist that Bale is simply not for sale.

But his assertions always seem to contain the one caveat that Spurs fans should fear, that “anything is possible in football.”

"The chairman said that we are not open to offers, whatever they are, and that the player will stay," AVB told O Jogo.

"In football anything can happen, but these are the guarantees given to me."

"There was a moment last season when Gareth came to me because he was not comfortable out on the pitch," AVB added, regarding his most coveted possession.

"I do not know if it was my response or that he was glad to relieve the stress, but after that he became confident and played with freedom.

"He felt important and finished the year in style."

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