Former Tottenham star Gus Poyet has jumped to the defence of Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale.

Poyet insists Bale should stay in Madrid.

He told Goal: “Some say he plays golf all the time. I say he scored in the Champions League final or in the Copa del Rey final. What I mean is that some see it negatively and I see what he did for Madrid.

“He's same Bale. How can you criticise Bale after what he did for this club? Unfortunately, we live in a very critical society. I was with Gareth when I went to Madrid to see them train. He seems happy in Madrid.

“I know the last news was that he wanted to leave Madrid in the summer. I think it was good enough to stay alone when everyone, including (Zinedine) Zidane, said he would leave in a matter of hours. He kept to himself."