BLACKBURN Rovers striker Benni McCarthy believes David Bentley is blessed with the ability to go all the way to the top.

The in-form midfielder has been a revelation for Rovers so far this season, and he underlined his star quality once again with another assist at Watford on Tuesday night.

Team-mate Robbie Savage has already touted Bentley for a possible England call-up, and now McCarthy reckons Rovers must do everything in their power to hang on to the former Arsenal player because he fears he could become a target for one of the Premiership's big four.

"I played against David when he was at Arsenal in the Ajax Cup two years ago and I noticed then he had wicked skills for an English boy," said Rovers' leading scorer.

"I was really looking forward to working with him and he's since proven that he's 100 times better than when I saw him play for Arsenal.

"Blackburn are really fortunate to have him on their books because he is definitely a player that's moving up in the world.

"I'm sad to say I don't know if he'll be at Blackburn very long.

"We'd love to have him here for a long time, but he's an ambitious young boy and has fantastic qualities.

"I think he's going to go places. When his turn comes, the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea or even Arsenal again will come back for him.

"He has great ability and he has scored goals that players like myself, who have been in the limelight for a while, can only dream of scoring.

"I score tap-ins compared to him. And he has scored some cracking goals - he's scored some contenders for the top ten best goals in the Premiership for me."

McCarthy will be hoping Bentley, who is in talks with Rovers over a new contract, can provide him with yet more silver service when Rovers face Luton in the FA Cup tomorrow.

The South African international gobbled up his 14th goal of the season when he scored with a bullet header from a Bentley cross at Vicarage Road in the week.

That came just four days after Bentley had supplied a sumptuous cross from which Morten Gamst Pedersen had opened the scoring against Manchester City.

McCarthy added: "If David Bentley says I'm a father figure he's lying! I'm only about five years older than him!

"I appreciate it when team-mates compliment each other because it's a good thing."