It only took him 23 games but Gareth Bale has finally won a Premier League match, in which he started, for Tottenham Hotspur.

And the attacking full-back is now starting to deliver performances that match up to the frightening potential he has threatened to show since his early days at Southampton. The past few games have seen him regain his place in the side and he has shown a maturity not previously seen from the 20-year-old – he is finally showing he is worth the hefty price paid for him - £5 million rising to £10 million - as a raw teenager two-and-a-half years ago.

After being signed by Spurs from Saints in May 2007 with the tag of “the next big thing”, the Welsh international showed glimpses of his talent. Bale put in some superb performances in the early parts of that first season, scoring three goals in his first four starts, with his penetrating runs down the left wing being particularly impressive. But injury towards the end of the campaign curtailed his promising start.

The 2008/09 season saw him make 16 outings for Spurs in the league, some in a more advanced role, but he couldn’t re-create his early form. With the ever-improving Benoit Assou-Ekotto now ahead of him as first choice left-back, Bale struggled for regular starts. Being injured throughout this year’s pre-season and then the opening stages of the current campaign didn’t help matters.

Now, though, injury to Assou-Ekotto has given him his big chance and he has grabbed it with both hands. Tottenham fans have in the past voiced concerns over some of the Cardiff-born star’s defensive weaknesses, but these seem to have improved. Using Ashley Cole as an example illustrates how young defenders can massively improve their positioning and tackling ability.

And he is now looking forward to establishing himself in the Tottenham side after a difficult time on the sidelines. He told the Daily Express:

“Yes, it was frustrating. Obviously nobody likes to be sitting on the bench every week. Benoit has been playing really well and that’s the reason why I’ve been on the bench.

“It has been a learning curve for me on the bench. Now I am just happy to be back playing, getting a good run and hopefully I can keep playing well.

“As a person, I’m growing up. I was young when I came here, I’m still quite young. I had a lot of injury problems and I’m glad they are behind me.

“I just want to look to the future and just play as much as I can. I didn’t doubt myself. I know in myself that I am a good player. I just needed the chance to prove it and hopefully I am doing that now,” he said.

This prolonged run of games has coincided with Bale’s first three points for Spurs after starting. The monkey is off his back and now is the perfect time to show what a good player he is.