Rush: Bale can get even better

Liverpool and Wales great Ian Rush believes countryman Gareth Bale will only get better with age.

Tottenham winger Bale has 19 goals for club and country this season, including the opener in Wales’ 2-1 friendly win over Austria last week.

And Rush ranks the 23-year-old alongside Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez as the best players in the Premier League.

“Recently, he’s been great and I think he’ll improve,” Rush said.

“You can say (Cristiano) Ronaldo, yeah, but he’s a lot older and I think Gareth Bale can improve and he will improve and he seems full of confidence.

“I think his energy levels seem sky high so he’s got a great touch. If you look at the English Premier League, you’ve got Suarez, van Persie and Bale, and people want to go and watch these people play.”

Rush also took time to pay tribute Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who has announced he will retire at season’s end, 16 years after his Anfield debut.

The 35-year old has made 723 appearances for the Merseyside club and Rush has tipped him to take that experience into coaching.

“Whether he stays at Liverpool or whether he goes to learn his trade somewhere else, I’m pretty certain he’s got the quality to be that (a coach),” Rush said.

“He’s got the big will and he’s a winner. If he can install that into players, that’s when you become a good coach and hopefully he will become a good manager.

“Hopefully at Liverpool. He’s got all the ingredients, he just needs the experience and I’m sure he’ll go down that road.”