The Premier League returns this weekend and with it comes a mouth-watering opener between the reigning champions of England and the winners of the Championship title.

Two stories of sleeping giants back battling in the big time, Liverpool and Leeds lock horns knowing the good times are finally back… but a 17-year gap between now and the last time this fixture was played shows just how much things have changed.

Join Sportsmail in travelling back to the Premier League season of 2003/04, to a time when the idea of oil money had only just sparked into life and the ‘traditional top four’ of English football was still in its pomp.

Liverpool vs Leeds, Anfield, 25 October 2003

Score: 3-1

Liverpool goalscorers: Owen 35, Murphy 57, Sinama-Pongolle 84

Leeds goalscorer: Smith 42

Gerard Houiller’s Liverpool went toe to toe with their northern rivals just a few months into the campaign, with his side bidding to bank an early buffer of points before the busy Christmas period and make a charge for Champions League qualification.

In the opposing dug-out, Peter Reid made his return to Merseyside as caretaker manager of the club, following the sacking of Terry Venables.

The problems which ultimately crumbled the foundations of Leeds were only just becoming apparent, with a financial crisis burning like wildfire in the boardroom.

Leeds had already sold some prime assets including Rio Ferdinand, while former talisman Harry Kewell was now wearing the red of Liverpool – though did not feature in this match.

It’s quite easy to forget just how rapidly football moves through the eras. To add some perspective, a youthful Steven Gerrard started the match for Liverpool, on the right side of midfield and wearing the No.17 shirt.

Sami Hyypia still wore the captain’s armband for the Reds, though Gerrard’s influence even at this fleeting stage was apparent.

Getting into their groove early on, Liverpool seized momentum after John-Arne Riise headed the ball down to tee Michael Owen, who celebrated his return to the starting line-up after injury by lashing a left-foot volley into the top corner.

Leeds fought back on the cusp of half-time after local hero Alan Smith made amends for missing an early sitter by slotting the ball past Jerzy Dudek, after a set up from a baby-faced Jermaine Pennant.

Houiller’s Liverpool then reclaimed control in controversial circumstances on 57 minutes, courtesy of the quick thinking of Danny Murphy.

Murphy, on for the injured Vladimir Smicer just a few minutes earlier, fired a quick free-kick that squirmed horribly through the grasp of goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

The Leeds keeper looked set for a reprieve courtesy of a linesman’s raised flag, but referee Jeff Winter ruled there had been no interference from the three Liverpool players in offside positions.

Leeds were shaken, as their season threatened the first signs of implosion.

The lesser known Florent Sinama-Pongolle would compound matters, coming on as a late sub for Liverpool to replace Owen and put the finishing touches to the victory.

Emile Heskey’s deft flick was just beyond the reach of Robinson’s gloves, giving Liverpool’s young Frenchman an easy opportunity to poke it home.

The skies turned a shade of grey above Anfield as the teams departed the pitch, with Reid remaining on the touchline with a thousand yard stare. It was to be a very long season indeed.

Leeds vs Liverpool, Elland Road, 29 February 2004

Score: 2-2

Leeds scorers: Bakke 29, Viduka 34

Liverpool scorers: Kewell 21, Baros 42

And so came the new year, as teams prepared to enter the home stretch of the campaign.

Just shy of 40,000 fans packed into Elland Road in hope of seeing their side spark some form of revival and kick-start a rapidly deteriorating season.

Leeds legend Eddie Gray had replaced Reid in the dug-out, and was tasked with what seemed like mission impossible in keeping his side in the top flight.

And so right on cue the opening could not have been much worse for Leeds. Liverpool settled into the game before former Elland Road idol Kewell hit the back of the net with an exquisite long-range effort and got Houiller’s men off the mark.

Dejection was apparent throughout the Leeds ranks, though determination quickly followed. Just nine minutes later Erik Bakke found an equaliser, before Mark Viduka latched on to Alan Smith’s aerial through-ball to lob goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

The fixture reached a frenetic pace in the build up to half-time, as Milan Baros pulled Liverpool level with an excellent solo goal – his first for the club that season.

The Czech international displayed pure craftsmanship to slip past two Leeds defenders before firing a shot past Robinson and bringing the scores level.

Half-time appeared to panic both sides into submission, with neither wanting to leave empty-handed. Liverpool desperately needed points to keep alive their top four ambitions, while Leeds were simply scrapping for anything they could get.

A gritty second 45 produced no further goals and saw the score settled at 2-2.

The Premier League season 2003-04

So, what did these games mean in terms of the bigger picture?

Of course, it is well documented what happened for Leeds, with their fall from grace one of the most dramatic in English football history.

The Yorkshire club slumped to a 17th place finish and were relegated from the Premier League. Nobody at the time could have predicted it would have been 17 years until their return.

Liverpool however were able to go on and achieve their objective. Houiller guided the side to a fourth placed finish on 60 points, four clear of fifth placed Newcastle.

This was to be crucial, given that the following season Liverpool would go on to shock the world and win the famous Champions League trophy in Istanbul, under new manager Rafael Benitez.

As for the rest of the division, Wolves and Leicester joined Leeds in taking the drop while Arsenal made history by winning the league title without losing a single match.

Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ side are yet to be matched in this regard.

While Leeds plummeted and star names departed, it wasn’t quite good news for all of them. In his English record move to Manchester United the season prior, Ferdinand was riding an all-time high.

Only for his world to come crumbling down during this campaign, with the now infamous episode of missing a drugs test and receiving an eight months ban as a result.

This same year Manchester City left the historic Maine Road by moving to the City of Manchester Stadium, now known as the Etihad.

City had won rights to occupy the stadium following the commonwealth games, though it would be several years before they became even half the force they are today, with bountiful wealth and silverware.

In the same vein, Roman Abramovich’s billions were only starting to make slight ripples in English football. Chelsea had been acquired by the Russian Oligarch, though it would not be until the following season under Jose Mourinho that the league title was lifted.

And so Leeds faded, with many years spent in the wilderness. Now, under Marcelo Bielsa, they are back with real ambition.

Money has been spent, including the club-record purchase of striker Rodrigo from Valencia.

This time around, on Saturday, they face a Liverpool team who are finally back on their perch as champions of England, having secured the Premier League title faster than any other side in history.

It’s time for two titans to do battle once again.

It’s set to be a big season for Luka Jovic and Eder Militao, as last summer’s big-money signings look to put their disappointing first campaigns behind them.

Jovic, who was signed for 60 million euros, failed to get anywhere close to displacing Karim Benzema last term in Zinedine Zidane’s frontline, and has made some questionable decisions during his first year at the club, such as flying back to Serbia in March under the coronavirus lockdown.

Militao was a 50 million euro arrival, but he has found it similarly tough to break into the starting XI ahead of Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos.

Of last summer’s signings, Eden Hazard bore the brunt of fans’ complaints, but Jovic and Militao won’t escape the microscope for much longer if they don’t begin to put in the performances expected of them.

Jovic’s return of just two goals and two assists in 27 total appearances last term was particularly disappointing, and Militao was present for five of Madrid’s seven defeats across all competitions.

In their favour is that they are both young, at 22 years old. But that factor can’t continue to carry much weight given the faith and money put into these two youngsters.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has left Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal out of his squad for their pre-season friendly against Nastic.

Koeman has disregarded the two stars with no explanation after choosing to rest Pjanic, Todibo, Ansu Fati, and Ter Stegen due to coronavirus recovery and injuries.

The decision to leave out Suarez and Vidal could suggest that the pair played their final game in a Barcelona shirt against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

Suarez has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus after being left out of Koeman plans.

Having held talks with the Catalans to terminate his contract, which expires in 2021, after six successful years at the Camp Nou, Suarez has been forced to train on his own.

As it stands, Suarez has reportedly agreed a £9million salary with the Serie A champions in a move that would see him link-up with Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin.

While, Inter Milan are leading the race to sign Vidal, with Antonio Conte rating the Chile international highly.

The 33-year-old has been vocal in his criticism of Barcelona, criticising the club for being too reliant on Lionel Messi and having too many youth products in the first-team. He slammed the club fro having just ’13 professional players’.

Vidal made 43 appearances last season, scoring eight goals, but will leave the Catalan giants as Koeman look’s to overhaul their squad.

Speaking of the friendly against Nastic, Koeman said: ‘Each player will play 45 minutes to find the intensity of the game, we are going to play two teams.

‘We will look for the intensity of the game, how we want to play with the ball, the transition of the game, how we are going pressure our rivals, things to improve

With the curtain raising on the Premier League this weekend, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher give their verdict on whether Liverpool will keep their crown in 2020/21.

The Reds ended a unique 2019/20 finally lifting their first league title in 30 years amid an empty Anfield, with previous back-to-back champions Manchester City finishing 17 points off the pace – and Pep Guardiola presiding over the most league defeats (nine) of any season in his managerial career.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have made only one addition to their ranks this summer, with the arrival of Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas to provide back-up to Andrew Robertson, and while they have been strongly linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, the Merseyside club have seen all of their top-four rivals add to their squads since the season finished on July 26.

Liverpool’s opener with Leeds is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday as one of six Sky Sports games across the first round of fixtures.

So how do Carra and Neville see the Premier League title race going, as we await the return of the top flight this weekend?

Can Liverpool retain their crown?

Liverpool go into the new season in a position they have not been since 1990, as the team to knock off their perch as league champions, something Neville said would become a “stress” for Klopp’s men – especially without any major incomings at Anfield to date.

However, the eight-time Premier League winner thinks Klopp can draw on his side’s past resilience under his leadership as a positive sign ahead of the upcoming campaign.

“Liverpool are the team to catch,” he said. “There’s no doubt it will become a stress for them. They’ve had the same players for almost three seasons now, Champions League final, Champions League victory, going so close in the Premier League but then winning the league. It’s a massive demand psychologically, mentally and physically to place upon the players without stimulating them again.

“Now, Jurgen Klopp has been absolutely unbelievable and he certainly can manage them and get the best out of them, but I think if they were to get Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich, it’s the only area of the team where I’d say they were not world class, and they are very good in there because the players in there are fantastic players. They’ve got a great work ethic and attitude, they supplement and compliment the defence, the goalkeeper and the attack brilliantly but you put him in there and you’ve got a genuine world-class presence in the middle of a brilliant team already and that would also do a number of things.

“Jurgen Klopp has proven that Liverpool can go on. You win the Champions League and then you go on to win the league the year after, you’ve proven that you can go on. Even to get the Champions League final and the come back and win it, and then come back to win the league, he’s proven he can get a performance out of them and he can get them to forget what’s happened the season before.

“My only thing this season would be that demand of the same squad, the same players, the same message, the same relationships and the same jokes for two or three years without that something slightly different in the dressing room and that addition, just sometimes it can become a bit draining and the idea of Thiago coming to Liverpool is a big moment because it deals with all those issues that can occur after two or three seasons.”

Will the title be heading to Manchester?

After racking up 198 points across two seasons as they lifted the Premier League trophy in 2017/18 and 2018/19, finishing nearly 20 points off the pace last season was somewhat of a fall from grace for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, who ended the season with only one trophy on the back of two domestic trebles.

Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake have already been added to Guardiola’s squad since the end of the season, with the club also hoping to also bring in defender Kalidou Koulibaly as they look to wrestle back the title they gave up in July.

The form of Manchester United in the second half of the campaign, eventually propelling them up to third in the league from sitting seventh as late as February, has also raised questions about whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can finally lead the club back into title contention, seven years since they last lifted a Premier League trophy in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. But who has the better chance come next May?

“I still think Manchester City, rather than Manchester United, will be the biggest obstacle to Liverpool retaining the title but I do see United getting a lot closer,” Carragher said. “The signing of Bruno Fernandes has been fantastic – he was outstanding in the second half of last season and I’m really excited to see him for a full season.

“If Liverpool don’t win the league this season, I don’t think it will be because they will have lacked motivation. This Liverpool team went to a Champions League final, came back the next year and won it, then went on to win the Premier League. The only worry for Liverpool is that the team hasn’t changed too much. Sometimes you just need a bit of freshness adding to it, mentally as much as anything. It will be interesting to see if they get a signing or two across the line.

“I don’t see Chelsea or Manchester United getting to 90-plus points to win a title. I hope they can close the gap to make it more exciting but I still just see Liverpool or City for the league.”

Chelsea’s time to shine?

Despite sitting under a transfer ban last season and blooding a number of young players without any Premier League experience Frank Lampard, himself a relatively rookie boss, led Chelsea to the FA Cup final and another season in the Champions League.

But now with close to £150m already spent on some of Europe’s top talent including Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, the pressure has ramped up around Stamford Bridge – so can the Blues legend deliver?

“Chelsea’s interesting because Roman Abramovich has wanted for 15 years a flamboyant team, and every time he’s gone for the flamboyant managers to try and get the flamboyant team, he’s been pulled back to that more methodical type of approach that’s been successful for the club,” said Neville.

“I think this year he’s probably investing, partly because of Covid and he sees an opportunity to exploit the market, but I think because what Frank Lampard has done has invigorated him. The academy players finally coming through, the emergence of Christian Pulisic and other young players, a team that plays a different way, that’s more energetic and really good to watch.

“More inconsistent, less reliable, you always get that when you are trying to go with younger players and a different style, but I think that’s what he wants. He wants excitement, he wants thrill around Chelsea and that’s why he’s invested this summer, to go again at this moment because he sees a team that’s got something he’s always wanted.”

Antoine Greizmann has dismissed speculation about his future and insisted that he is settled at Barcelona.

Following the news that Lionel Messi will remain at the Nou Camp, there had been suggestions that Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal had been put on alert about the possibility of signing Griezmann.

However, the France international is adamant that he is staying at Barcelona.

Griezmann told M6: ‘Is my future at Barça? Yes, I don’t know why people invent destinations to see if one day they will be right.

‘There I am very good, I know I have the confidence of the club and the coach, so I am fine. It has been a very complicated season for all of us but we aim to restart again.’

Griezmann joined Barcelona in 2019 from Atletico Madrid for £108million but his first season at the Nou Camp certainly didn’t go to plan.

Barcelona ended the campaign without a trophy and Griezmann wasn’t at his best as he scored 15 goals in 48 appearances.

The 29-year-old will hope to fare rather better next season as Barcelona enter a new era under Ronald Koeman.

Koeman’s side will get their LaLiga campaign underway on September 26 when they host Villarreal.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stressed that his team’s unity will be a major factor in the title race despite the spending power of their rivals.

After ending their 30 year wait to win the league title, Liverpool have had a rather quiet transfer window so far, with their sole acquisition seeing left-back Kostas Tsimakas arrive from Olympiacos for £11.75million.

Despite the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Manchester City and Chelsea have both spent heavily in this transfer window.

City signed defender Nathan Ake from Bournemouth for £40million, with winger Ferran Torres joining from Valencia for £20.75million.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been heavily active in the transfer market, securing deals for Hakim Ziyech (£37m), Chilwell (£50m), Timo Werner (£53m), Kai Havertz (£89m) while also brinign in Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr on free transfers.

Klopp, however, stressed that success isn’t based entirely on a club’s actions in the transfer market and says that Liverpool can still be successful even if they don’t have the same financial power as City and Chelsea.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live Sport, Klopp said: ‘We live in a world at the moment with a lot of uncertainty.

‘For some clubs it seems to be less important how uncertain the future is. Owned by countries, owned by oligarchs, that’s the truth.

‘We’re a different kind of club. We got to the Champions League final two years ago, we won it last year and became Premier League champions last season by being the club we are, by being lead the way we are leaded.’

Klopp added that, although Chelsea have brought in a host of new stars, they may find it difficult to get them to gel immediately.

He said: ‘We cannot change it just overnight and say ‘so now we want to behave like Chelsea, now we want to behave like them.’

‘Now they’ve signed a lot of players. That can be an advantage, of course, but that means that they have to fit together pretty quickly as well, it’s not only about bringing quality in.

‘You cannot bring in the 11 best players in the world and just hope a week later they will play the best football they’ll ever play.’

Liverpool also didn’t spend significantly last summer but still proceeded to win the Premier League.

Klopp says that by creating a strong bond on the training ground Liverpool are setting themselves up to succeed.

He said: ‘It’s about working together on the training ground. That will probably be an advantage for us. We worked quite a while with each other, but I know people don’t want to hear that!

‘But we did it last year pretty much that way. For our reasons, club reasons, we always want to improve, always want to improve the squad, but there are different ways.’

Man Utd new boy Donny van de Beek pictured in training for the first time

Donny van de Beek has got stuck into training on his first day at Manchester United following his £40m arrival from Ajax last week.

The 23-year-old has arrived in England to join up with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men after international duty with Holland and will start getting to know his United team-mates.

And he even had time to pose for a picture with his new manager and club captain Harry Maguire, who himself had returned to pre-season training earlier this week for the first time since being arrested in Greece last month.

While the Premier League season begins in earnest this weekend, United have an extra week to prepare for their kick-off against Crystal Palace on September 12.

Their involvement in the latter stages of the Europa League in Germany last month granted them a later start than the majority of their rivals.

After clinching a return to the Champions League with a final day victory over Leicester in July, van de Beek’s arrival is a particular cause for excitement with United supporters.

United fans are eagerly awaiting the prospect of him forging a midfield partnership alongside Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.

After featuring for Holland in their defeat by Italy on Monday night, van de Beek bid a fond farewell to Ajax’s most devout supporters outside the Johan Cruyff Arena.

They serenaded him with songs, held up banners paying tribute and set off flares. The midfielder was clearly moved by the gesture and he got out of his car and clapped them back as they said their goodbyes.

Van de Beek joined Ajax’s academy back in 2008 and went on to become a fan favourite in Amsterdam.

The midfielder, who scored 41 goals and created 34 assists in 175 matches for the club, won the Eredivisie title in 2018-19 while also playing an instrumental role in his side’s run to the Champions League semi-finals the same season.

‘Donny has all of the technical attributes needed to perform in this team and has the personality required to succeed at Manchester United,’ Solskjaer said upon confirming the signing.

‘His ability to see space, time his movements and read the game will really complement the qualities that we have in midfield and his arrival really strengthens the depth of talent we have in that position.

‘Donny’s performances in the Eredivisie and in Europe have been excellent over the last few years and we are all looking forward to working with him.’

Lampard heaps praise on new £89m man Havertz but says he needs time to settle

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has hailed new arrival Kai Havertz’s attitude but stressed that the Germany international must be given time to settle in England.

Havertz joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen for £90million last week and much is expected from him in his first season in the Premier League.

Lampard is excited about the qualities that Havertz can bring to Chelsea but is wary not to expect too much from the 21-year-old straight away.

Lampard told Chelsea’s official website: ‘Kai is a really exciting signing for myself and for the club first and foremost.

‘We also have to understand that he is a fantastic young talent but we must give him time to let him settle and let those talents come through.’

Lampard has also been impressed with Havertz’s attitude since his arrival at the club’s Cobham training ground.

Lampard said: ‘On his personality, I have been absolutely overwhelmed with how humble and down to earth he is, and how well he wants to do here, and how he is very excited with the challenge. He wants to come here and be a top player for Chelsea, and really prove his talents on this stage.’

Havertz, who can play as an attacking midfielder, up front or out wide, is similar to former Chelsea player Michael Ballack in terms of physique according to Lampard.

He said: ‘He has great talent on the ball, his productivity is brilliant in terms of goalscoring and assists, and physically he is great in terms of how he can get around the pitch, and talking about his size we are comparing him to Michael Ballack.

‘All those things come together but I emphasise we do need to give him time, but I am really excited about what he can do.’

Havertz made a major impact for Leverkusen last season, scoring 12 goals and provided six assists across 30 Bundesliga appearances.

There have been a host of other arrivals at Chelsea during this transfer window, with Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva also joining the club.

Chelsea are eager to make further signings too, with Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy reportedly close to joining for £20m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will speak with Mason Greenwood over his expulsion from the England squad, but Manchester United are determined to protect their teenage striker from any further fallout.

Manchester City are likely to adopt a similar policy over Phil Foden after the young Premier League stars were sent home from Iceland in disgrace for smuggling two girls into England’s team hotel in Reykjavik.

Foden has not returned to training with City yet, although Pep Guardiola’s side don’t kick off the new season until a week on Monday when they play Wolves at home.

United also have a late start two days earlier against Crystal Palace and Greenwood was undergoing a Covid risk assessment on Wednesday to determine when he can rejoin his teammates at Carrington.

Solskjaer will discuss the breach of discipline with Greenwood that followed the 18-year-old’s senior England debut against Iceland, but it’s understood the emphasis will be on learning a lesson from the first controversy of his fledgling career.

Sources at United and City have stressed that both clubs are wary of adding to the widespread criticism of the players having already issued statements condemning the incident.

City slammed Foden’s ‘totally inappropriate’ actions while United said they were ‘disappointed’ in Greenwood.

The clubs will take into account the young age and inexperience of the two England debutants who have both made public apologies since being kicked out of the squad by manager Gareth Southgate on Monday.

They were denied an opportunity to win a second cap against Denmark on Tuesday night, and could be punished further by missing next month’s games with Wales, Belgium and the Danes again.

Southgate, who confirmed that Foden and Greenwood would have been sent home irrespective of the breach of quarantine, stressed the importance of helping them move on from the controversy.

‘You’ve got to help young people get back on their feet,’ said the England boss.

‘There has to be consequence to what happened and then we have to help them rebuild. That doesn’t mean you hold that against them forever.

‘With the spotlight that is on them, what their families will be having to deal with, that’s an incredible ordeal. I have to try and help, with their clubs as well.

‘They are young men that need support because everyone is wading in on them. They need help to rebuild and understand the expectations of being an England player. That’s going to take time.’

Gareth Bale could be set for a stunning Premier League return as he prepares to have crunch talks with Real Madrid over a potential exit.

Reports in Spain say that the Welsh wizard could be set for a move to either Manchester United or Tottenham in the coming window after being outcasted at the LaLiga champions by head coach Zinedine Zidane.

Bale’s return to England would be one of the major moves of the European summer transfer window, with the Real Madrid star’s arrival potentially having an impact at the top of the Premier League table.

Sportsmail looks at where Bale would fit in at either Manchester United or Spurs ahead of the latest developments in this transfer saga…

MANCHESTER UNITED

There is no doubt that Bale would be the marquee attacking signing that Manchester United fans are dreaming of, but do the Red Devils actually need to sign Bale?

The 31-year-old’s arrival would likely break up the exciting front three of Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who all fired United to a top-four spot after the coronavirus break last season.

Yet the way in which Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side have been targeting Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho all summer shows that the club are looking to provide extra competition in that area anyway this summer.

Greenwood, who was caught sneaking Icelandic girls into his hotel room along with fellow Three Lions debutant Phil Foden of Manchester City this week, is inexperienced at 18 and although he starred towards the end of last season Bale is proven in the English top flight.

There is no denying the youngster has the talent but he still needs time to grow and develop in order to improve his game. Working with the likes of Bale could push Greenwood on even more.

Bale could line-up on the right hand side of the Red Devils’ front three in place of Greenwood given that the Welshman is comfortable with both feet and is a serial goalscorer and creator.

Bale would also have a comfortable role in the United side and would not need to track back given Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s defensive competences.

No Premier League player managed more tackles than the English right back last term, with the 22-year-old an expert in one-on-one defending, meaning Bale can stay high up the pitch.

One issue where Bale would struggle at United, however, is the number of egos currently at Old Trafford, whose dressing room is occupied by big-money stars.

How would they feel about another big-money player coming in and hogging all the limelight?

TOTTENHAM

Gareth Bale is still a cult hero at Tottenham, having dazzled Spurs fans with some eye-catching performances in a six-year spell at White Hart Lane.

Bale made his name at Spurs playing on the left wing, with his devastating displays against Inter Milan in 2010 one of the key career moments that elevated the Wales captain to the top European stage.

Though Spurs boss Jose Mourinho would likely use him on the right-hand side to form a chilling combination with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at the top of the pitch.

Bale’s potential role on the right-hand side would work nicely as Spurs play a lop-sided system which sees Mourinho place more of an emphasis on the right wing.

Left back Ben Davies often tucks in to create a back three, leaving right back Matt Doherty the freedom to go further up the pitch and become an extra attacking option.

A wider role from the Spurs right back would allow Bale more opportunities to cut inside on his left foot, as Doherty would act as a distraction for the opposite full backs against the right sort of opposition.

Not only would Bale improve Spurs from a tactical point of view, he would also help change the club’s mentality.

Several players at Tottenham are yet to lift a league title or even a trophy in their careers, with this lack of title-winning experience letting Spurs down in crucial moments over the past few seasons.

Mourinho is trying to change this culture in north London – since his arrival in November last year, over half of his signings at Spurs have lifted league titles in their career.

Bale is a completely different animal compared to the likes of Joe Hart, Gedson Fernandes and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, however. The Welshman has both won and scored in multiple Champions League finals – something Spurs failed to do in 2019 – and has also guided Real Madrid to domestic league titles too.

That kind of experience would cost money, however, with reports in Spain saying that Spurs owner Daniel Levy simply does not have the funds to sanction such a move.

Though several close contacts of Mourinho, including ex-Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon, claims that the Portuguese coach is a huge admirer of the Wales winger and a loan move could be agreed by Real Madrid.

A move United probably looks more of an attractive option from a playing point of view, though Bale would be returning home to Spurs if he chooses north London as his next destination.

It’s probably worth saying that Tottenham need him more than Manchester United do too.