Harry Redknapp lavished praise on Gareth Bale after watching the Tottenham winger almost stage a sensational one-man rescue act in the Champions League thriller at Inter Milan.
Already one of the hottest young properties in Europe, Bale elevated himself to superstar status with a stunning hat-trick to spare Spurs' blushes at the San Siro.
Bale's exploits were not enough to prevent Tottenham suffering a 4-3 defeat but his goals - especially a stunning solo effort - meant he ended up stealing the show.
The Tottenham manager Redknapp said: "He's an amazing young player. He plays left-back, he plays wide left, he scores goals, he can run all day.
"Even first half, he gave the right-back a torrid time, I felt.
"The right-back's one of the best right-backs in the world, possibly."
Spurs rebuffed an approach for Bale before the transfer window closed but it would be no surprise to see an avalanche of big-money bids for the 21-year-old in January.
But Redknapp refused to discuss his prize asset's current value, saying: "Tottenham is a club that is looking to progress, not to sell its best players.
"If Tottenham sell Gareth Bale now, it would send out the wrong signals; it would be a club that would be a selling club.
"He's a player that we hope to build a team around. He signed a new contract at the club and, hopefully, he'll be here for a good few years to come.
"If Tottenham progress and become a Champions League team on a regular basis, he'll become a big part of the team."
With the other match in Group A finishing 1-1 between Twente Enschede and Werder Bremen, Inter, who have seven points, and Tottenham are favourites to reach the last 16.
Spanish striker Raul scored twice for Schalke as they beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-1 giving the Germans six points in Group B.
Rangers maintained Scottish hopes of a last-16 representative with a 1-1 home draw against Valencia moving them to five points, two behind Manchester United.
Panathinaikos drew 0-0 with Rubin Kazan in Group D, a result that did little to help either side's chances.
