Everton skipper Phil Neville says Gareth Bale is a better player than the one he played off the pitch last season at Tottenham.

Neville faces Bale again tonight.

"I see a better player than the one from last season," said Neville. "Gareth is adding things to his game every year. When I was young, each year I was told "you have got to add something new to you game" - you have got to try and improve five or 10 per cent if you can.

"I see him doing things now that he wasn't doing 12 months ago. Teams have tried to block him on the flanks but he has started coming into the middle. He has started scoring a lot of goals and that is something he has added.

"What do I remember of the game last year? I was given a lot of help by my team-mates, as is always the case. You never get left on your own when you play for Everton. But he is maturing into an outstanding left-winger -he's probably the best in the Premier League if not in Europe right now."