Andros Townsend has admitted to Sky Sports that he did not expect his former Tottenham Hotspur teammate and reported Newcastle United target Gareth Bale to become as good a player as he is now.

Townsend, who left Newcastle for Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016 after joining the Magpies in January 2016, played with winger Bale at Tottenham.

The 28-year-old England international winger has raved about the Wales international winger, and he has admitted that he did not envisage the Real Madrid star becoming as good as he is now.

According to Marca, Newcastle are interested in signing Bale from Spanish and European giants Madrid in the summer transfer window.

Townsend told Sky Sports when asked if he could always see Bale’s ability at Tottenham: “You ask anyone now, they’ll say they always knew he could do it, but being honest he just had incredible athleticism, he was strong, he was big, his calves were massive, but he was getting injured whenever he got in the team.

“He managed to sort it all out and turned it into an incredible player, but I’d be lying if I said I saw it coming!”

Stunning signing for Newcastle United

Newcastle signing Bale from Madrid will depend on whether the reported takeover of the Magpies by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund goes through.

It also remains to be seen if the former Tottenham star will be wiling to leave Madrid and join a club who were playing in the Championship not so long ago.

However, there is no doubt that Bale would be a stunning and blockbuster signing for Newcastle and would be a statement of intent from the prospective new owners of the Premier League club.