Wayne Rooney believes Raheem Sterling can be "as good as Marc Overmars" and has shown the Liverpool youngster videos of the former Netherlands winger.
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Overmars, 41, was part of Louis van Gaal's Ajax team that won the Champions League in 1995 and won three league titles in the Eredivisie.
He moved to Arsenal and scored 16 goals in the 1997-98 season, including one in the FA Cup final, as Arsene Wenger's Gunners claimed the Double.
Overmars, who helped Netherlands reach the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, later played for Barcelona.
Rooney said he sees similarities with Sterling, who was England's outstanding player in their 1-0 friendly win over Norway on Wednesday and earned rave reviews for his performance against Italy in the 2-1 World Cup defeat.
The England captain told national newspapers: "Before the World Cup I showed him videos of Marc Overmars because he reminded me of him. He has the potential to be as good as Overmars.
"Raheem is a fantastic and quite an unusual player. He can play right across the front line, out wide. Although he's a small lad, he's really strong. The potential he's shown is incredible. He'll be a massive player for us over the next 10 to 15 years and, unfortunately, for Liverpool."