Pundits Billy Costacurta and Fabio Capello hailed the debut of Francesco Acerbi for Inter Milan's defeat of Viktoria Plzen.
The former Lazio defender was handed a start by Inter coach Simone Inzaghi and impressed in the 2-0 Champions League win.
Ex-AC Milan defender Costacurta said: "He hasn't played since 11 June and it seems to me that he could really be a player to bet on."
Capello, the former Milan and Roma coach, agreed.
He said, "He seemed like a leader in a new team, it is no coincidence that during the match he cautioned a teammate who allowed an opponent to make a too easy cross."