The 21-year-old is hoping to step off the bench to terrorise Milan at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night. Bale's profile rocketed when he scored a second-half hat-trick against Inter Milan in the Champions League group stages in October before running rings around Maicon in the reverse fixture the following month. The former Southampton man is unlikely to start the second leg of the club's last-16 tie against the Rossoneri after he struggled to recover his fitness following a six-week back injury layoff. Bale has earned the plaudits of a number of respected figures within the game this year, with Fabio Capello on Tuesday labelling him the best in his position in the world. Redknapp, whose side go in 1-0 up from the first leg, agreed with the England boss' statement, saying: "I don't think there is a better left-sided player around. "He has got everything. He is 6ft 2in tall, the physique on him is incredible, the pace, the ability to cross the ball, shoot, dribble, head it, he can do everything. "The world sat up and recognised him after what he did to Inter but he has been tearing teams to pieces for over a year. "He's done it against everybody, really." Bale came through a training session on Tuesday but felt stiff afterwards, meaning Redknapp is likely to deploy him as an substitute. His absence from the starting XI will be a big blow to Redknapp's team given his impact on the club's European fixtures this year, but Redknapp thinks the Italian giants will be scared of the impact he could have off the bench. "If Milan see him on the bench, it will give them a few concerns," Redknapp said. "I'd love to see him start but he's doubtful at the moment. "This morning he felt he wasn't quite ready to start (the game). "His back was ok but he felt a little stiff in his legs. "I have plenty of options on the left wing though, I have Steven Pienaar and Luka Modric who can play out on the left Niko Kranjcar too." Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all thought to be keen admirers of Bale, but Redknapp has reiterated his stance that the youngster must stay at White Hart Lane if the club want to progress. "It wouldn't be my decision if he stayed but if the club want to keep going forward and be a top-four club every year you've got to keep players like that because you can't find them," the 64-year-old said. "He's that special that you can't replace him. He's signed a five-year contract here, so I wouldn't see any problem in him staying. "He's happy here. He knows his future is here for the next few years and if we can keep moving forward there's no reason for him to leave here." Should they avoid defeat on Wednesday, Redknapp's team will secure their passage through to the last eight of the Champions League in what has been a remarkable debut season in the competition. The club have registered wins over both Milan clubs, Werder Bremen, FC Twente and Young Boys, whilst treating their fans to a series of pulsating games at White Hart Lane, where they hold a 100% record in the competition. The Londoners are outsiders to clinch the trophy but Redknapp would not rule his team out of making the final at Wembley in two months' time. "It's there for someone to win it and we're still in it," he said. "We have to play Milan first and we know how hard that will be. "But I'm sure all our players want to continue in this competition as I do and all the staff. "It's a fantastic competition. Once you have played in it you want more and we want to stay in as long as we can and it's a wide open competition this year again." Redknapp has been boosted by the return of Rafael van der Vaart, who has not played since the 1-0 win in the San Siro three weeks ago but is now fully fit. Vedran Corluka could make a shock start after returning much earlier than expected following the ankle injury he picked up in the first leg.
