Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed that Gareth Bale's injury after Charlie Adam's tackle in pre-season is not serious.

The Liverpool midfielder caused the Tottenham man to leave the pitch in a pre-season friendly in the United States with a heavy-handed tackle, causing outrage from the Welsh winger who labelled him a coward.

However, Spurs fans will breathe a sigh of relief that their star player has not been sidelined for long.

"Needless to say, we are extremely relieved Gareth has not been seriously injured," Villas-Boas told reporters, printed in The Daily Mail.

"There is previous history between the two players on the challenge that was done I think three years ago.

"Adam being called a coward? It’s Gareth speaking and he felt strongly after the match bearing in mind the player didn’t go to him to apologise for what was considered a difficult and nasty challenge.

"The words came out of his mouth and I’m sure he said it in full consciousness. Will we take it any further? We are discussing it within the club but in my opinion, the matter is dealt.

"But it would be extremely human for Charlie to come out with an apology. But you can’t force people to say anything and we will have to wait and see," he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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