BLACKPOOL midfielder Charlie Adam has defended the tackle which may have caused serious injury to Gareth Bale, insisting he never meant to hurt Tottenham's star winger in yesterday's 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.

Bale left the ground on crutches with a protective boot around his left leg after Adam's 64th-minute challenge.

The Scot appeared to stamp on Bale's ankle as he went in for the tackle after the 21-year-old was knocked off balance by Blackpool midfielder Keith Southern.

The Welshman was clearly left in serious pain by the challenge and immediately waved for the physio before being carried off on a stretcher.

Bale, who has suffered from back and hamstring problems this term, will go for a scan tomorrow to determine whether the tackle has caused any ligament damage that could rule him out for some time.

But Adam, who was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award which Bale won, went into the Tottenham dressing room to apologise to the former Southampton player after the game and stressed he never meant to hurt the player.

Adam said: "I just saw the ball. I just tried to get it. It was never intentional. I never tried to hurt him because he's a wonderful player and at the end of the day I'd rather see these players on the pitch.’’