Sunderland captain Lorik Cana says teammate Darren Bent can emerge into among the world's best strikers.
Bent has scored 18 goals so far this season.
His captain Cana said: "He can be world class - maybe he is not just yet.
"He is very important for us, one of the most important players in our side, and he definitely made the difference last week against Bolton. When he scores, we rarely seem to lose.
"I think he can be a top player, but we have to help him as well. To score a hat-trick was great for him, for his confidence and for the club.
"He is only young, so he has time on his side in international football. People like Heskey and Crouch may not make another World Cup, but this is not Darren's last chance.
"But England are lucky because they have a lot of good strikers at the moment.
"When you look at someone like Wayne Rooney, there are not many like him in the world!"