New Tottenham left-back Gareth Bale says he never considered pledging his international future to England.

He said: "I consider it an honour to play for Wales. I could have played for England because my grandmother is English.

"She never tried to put any pressure on me though. Nobody ever got in touch with me personally from England, only through my agent.

"But I wanted to play for Wales and my hero as a kid was Ryan.

"I play on the left as well so I have tried to take certain elements from his game and adapt them into mine.

"I have never played against him before so I am looking forward to that this season."

Bale was linked with Manchester United in the summer but made it clear that Tottenham was his preferred choice.

He added: "This club has a lot of potential and young players.

"They showed a lot of interest in me and I wanted to come here. Now I just want to concentrate on my football and try to get a regular place in the side."