England manager Roy Hodgson says his players must be prepared to deal with the threat of Gareth Bale when his side meet Wales in the European Championships next summer.
The two sides were drawn in the same group at the draw on Saturday – something that will lead to plenty of Battle of Britain headlines in the coming months.
Wales will be playing at their first major tournament since 1958 and relying very much on star man Gareth Bale. The Real Madrid forward played a crucial role in the qualifying stages.
And immediately after the drawn, Hodgson said his players must be prepared for a tough test when the take on Chris Coleman’s men in Lens.
“One of the things we will be concerned with will be stopping Gareth Bale and limiting his chances but I would like to think we have one or two players that will occupy Welsh minds in terms of how we stop them,” he commented.
And he added: “I’ve been very, very impressed with Wales. I think they have a strong spine. I think Ashley Williams has done a magnificent job at centre-half. They have a good goalkeeper in Wayne Hennessey.
“And I think Chris Coleman has put a lot of players around those that are complementing them well and make certain they can get the best out of, in particular, Gareth Bale, who is a world star.”
