Real Madrid have yet to come knocking with an £86million cheque but there are distinct echoes of Gareth Bale about the way Andros Townsend has taken the game by storm for club and country this season.

Tottenham’s world-record fee for Bale was never likely to burn a hole in their pocket and their subsequent recruitment drive took them to all corners of the globe, as they spent virtually every penny on Paulinho, Nacer Chadli, Roberto Soldado, Etienne Capoue, Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiriches.

Bale was always going to be some act to follow and it’s little wonder no expense was spared in a worldwide quest to replace him. The answer may have been on their own doorstep all along, however, after the dramatic development of academy kid Townsend over the past couple of months.

His emergence as pretender to Bale’s crown was never more evident than at Wembley last Tuesday, when he turned in a second successive eye-catching England performance, with a place at the World Cup finals at stake.

The way he rattled the bar from outside the area was reminiscent of Bale at his most menacing, as was the burst of pace that scorched the Wembley turf and left his marker trailing midway through the second half.

So, how does the 22-year-old from Chingford compare with world-beater Bale and what are his prospects of emulating Real’s summer signing as the most potent attacking weapon in the Barclays Premier League? Here’s a look at how the two measure up, with some statistical assistance from Opta.

Dribbling

One of the abiding memories of last season was the sight of Bale jinking past defenders and working the ball on to his left foot whenever he was in range of goal. There was no great mystery about it but the manoeuvre was completed at such lightning speed, it was almost impossible to combat.

Townsend has a similar instinct for cutting in from the right to open up a shooting opportunity with his favoured left foot. No-one could argue he does it as effectively or consistently as Bale, yet the figures tell a different story. Surprisingly, Townsend averages 8.9 dribbles per game, compared with Bale’s 4.7, and has a completion rate of 61 per cent, as opposed to the Wales forward’s 38 per cent.

Shooting

With Bale, the previous category and this one often go hand-in-hand. There are times when he looks up, takes aim and lets fly from distance, but, just as frequently, a shot at goal is the final act of a mazy run. There is real venom in it as well, more often than not. Townsend has shown he can smack it just as firmly, not least with his England goal against Montenegro and effort against the bar against Poland.

In terms of accuracy, both players are around the 50 per cent mark, though Townsend still has some way to go in terms of goals to shots ratio, with just five per cent, compared with Bale’s 16 per cent. That confirms the lasting impression from last season that when Bale drew back his left foot in opposition territory, a goal usually followed.

Work rate

Neither is likely to evoke memories of Dave Mackay at his buccaneering, ball-winning best, and the stats confirm as much. Townsend evidently executes 1.3 tackles, if that counts as plural, per game, while Bale averages exactly one. Townsend wins 56 per cent of his, Bale a positively tigerish 73 per cent. Both would doubtless argue their work rate should be gauged by how they use possession, rather than how they try and win it.

Speed

Townsend is quick, as illustrated against Poland, when he knocked the ball down the right flank in the second half and left his marker trailing. But has he got that extra gear that Bale used to famously destroy Maicon in the San Siro? Time will tell, but the way Bale repeatedly gives defenders a yard start and still outpaces them suggests he is quicker out of the blocks.

Crossing

Certainly with Bale, perhaps less so with Townsend, you get the impression the overriding priority is converting chances, rather than laying them on for others. Both are primarily wingers, though, so crossing is part of the job description. There’s not much between them, either, with Townsend averaging 5.1 crosses per game and Bale 8.2. It’s even tighter for completion rate, with Townsend delivering accurately 22 per cent of the time and Bale 23 per cent.