Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek's focus remains understandably locked on the makeup of his side and squad for the 2010 World Cup, but it was the maiden performance of a teenage dynamo unlikely to make the trip to South Africa that grabbed the Dutchman's attention during Australia's 1-0 win over Indonesia in Brisbane.
The home side sealed its place in the 2011 Asian Cup on Wednesday night when a squad made up of predominately A-League players, including debutants Tommy Oar and Shannon Cole, downed the visitors after defender Mark Milligan struck his first international goal.
In what was a relatively uninspiring game of football where Australia justifiably went for substance ahead of style, the sublime skills and pace of Oar stood out.
Oar played the entire game on the left wing and his ability to take on defenders and deliver quality service to behemoth striker Josh Kennedy was especially noteworthy.
Verbeek did not attempt to downplay the 18-year-old's debut performance.
"I wish I could keep the pressure (on Oar) down a bit more, but I have to be honest, I think he played a fantastic game," Verbeek said.
"I could say that he didn't, or that he has a few things to improve on, but I think he was fantastic."
Oar completed a breakout season with the Brisbane Roar that saw him earn a national call up for Australia's Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait in January, a game he ultimately played no part in.
Oar's slick skills and sudden rise has seen some pundits make comparisons with a younger version of Galatasaray maestro Harry Kewell.
Verbeek made a plea for the media to keep a lid on their great expectations.
"Let's try and keep it normal for the boy - he's just 18 years old - don't mention him as the next Harry Kewell, please," he said.
"Let the boy just develop, he had a great year, and after a great year we all know it will be very difficult for him to stay at the same level."
Verbeek bristled when the inevitable question of whether Oar could be a bolter for the World Cup was raised.
"World Cup squad? The boy is 18 years old, he played one game in the national team, do we have to select him now do you think?"
"If you're good enough, I don't care (about age), but after one good game, I don't think I'm going to say this is the next generation Socceroo, but I do hope so."
Verbeek did little to quash the impending speculation though, saying he was impressed with Oar's decision to opt for some trials in the Netherlands after the end of the domestic season.
"Never say never, let's be honest about that - he's going to have some experience abroad, that's perfect - very close to my place, that makes it even better," he said.
"So I can keep him under control a little bit and find out how he's going, and then, we will see."
The Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia was the last international fixture for World Cup hopefuls to impress Verbeek before he names a 30-man squad for South Africa on May 11, which will be trimmed to 23 players in early June.
The manager was cagey when asked how many of those 23 spots have already been nailed down.
"How many spots are up for grabs? 23 as far as I can remember?" he