Tottenham left-back Sergio Reguilon has noticed a distinct change in Gareth Bale's demeanour since he returned to north London in the summer.
The Spaniard joined Spurs almost simultaneously with the Welshman from Real Madrid in September and has enjoyed a flying start to life in the Premier League, emerging as a fan favourite among the Lilywhites faithful.
Bale, though, has enjoyed a fairly mundane understated start to 2020/21 as Jose Mourinho continues to manage his minutes smartly in a bid to get the 31-year-old up to full fitness as swiftly as possible.
The Tottenham hero scored his first Premier League goal since his return in the 2-1 victory over Brighton earlier this month - which was assisted by Reguilon - and was handed his first league start of the campaign by Mourinho in Sunday's slender 1-0 victory at West Brom.
Despite his relatively quiet on-pitch start to the campaign, Reguilon - who played 22 times for Los Blancos before his summer switch - has described Bale as 'happier' following his return to N17, with the Welshman serving as a translator for the 23-year-old.
"The fundamental part has been the language. Gareth talks to all his team-mates here. In Madrid, he was more afraid of failing with the language. The change has been very positive for him," Reguilon said in an interview with El Chiringuito (via Marca).
"Bale sometimes even acts as a translator for some specific things. He is much more comfortable speaking English with all his colleagues, it shows a lot. I see him happier, comfortable in a team."
The Welshman had fallen significantly out of favour with Real boss Zinedine Zidane by the time he deaprted the club in the summer and throughout his seven-year stay in the Spanish capital, he was subject to plenty of criticism for supposedly not learning the language following his 2013 move.
Although, several former Real teammates, including Luka Modric, backed Bale, instead suggesting he could speak Spanish but was just shy and perhaps afraid of messing up in front of the cameras. Reguilon's latest comments suggest that may have been the case.
Source : 90min