Tottenham fullback Gareth Bale is feeling confident after hitting preseason training injury-free.

"I feel great and I feel confident," Bale told Spurs' website. "Pre-season is always about running at this stage and I feel strong.

"It won't be easy - pre-season never is - you have to graft through it and you will reap the rewards.

"Even though it's hard work I'm just happy to be back out there after being injured for such a long time, happy to be running and happy to be back to normal."

First team coach Marcos Alvarez said: "Gareth is working really well. His fitness is unbelievable. He's happy with his work and we feel he will be a very important player for us next season. His fitness levels are excellent and he has that fitness naturally."