Gareth Bale has been told to stay at Real Madrid and forget about a move to Manchester United.
Speculation the Welsh forward will call time on his spell at the Bernabeu and move to Old Trafford has been intense.
And Real’s pursuit of Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe has put a question mark over his future at the club.
But Bale’s countryman – and former Liverpool goal ace – Ian Rush believes he should stay put.
“If he’s happy then Gareth should stay in Spain, 100 per cent,” said Rush.
“He has improved as a player. He’s got great players like Cristiano Ronaldo to keep learning from. There are not many better clubs in the world than Real Madrid.
“I know that if he decided to come to England he would have the choice of all the top clubs here. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool would all want him.
“There’s always a time and a place to come back but I don’t think it should be now. He is still relatively young.”
Rush also believes Bale would have an easier – and potentially more successful – life at Real.
“The Premier League is so tough,” he added. “There are no games in which you can switch on the cruise control. Real Madrid and Barcelona can rest players in certain games and still win. You can’t do that in England so the season is a real grind.
“Gareth is able to fine tune his game in Spain. He is rested at times but if he came back to England, say for Manchester United, he would be playing week-in, week-out.
“Also there’s every chance that Real Madrid, who have won the Champions League two seasons running, will at least reach the semi-finals and final again. You can’t say that with any certainty about any English club Gareth joins.”