Ireland’s ‘Mini-Bale’ on the rise

Gareth Bale may be prised away from White Hart Lane but Spurs have a new edition ready — and he hails from Waterford.

Andre Villas-Boas has nicknamed their Irish U19 winger Kenny McEvoy ‘Mini-Bale’ due to his striking resemblance to the Welshman.

Just like Bale, Déise lad McEvoy possesses bundles of pace and an eye for goal. Evidence of why Villas-Boas rates McEvoy so highly was on view at Upton Park last month when he netted twice in the FA Youth Cup win over West Ham United. It’s no wonder the Portuguese is keen to see another player in the Bale mould being fast-tracked towards the first-team.