GRAEME Souness last night insisted that Patrick Kluivert could become the world's number one striker in the next four years after watching the Dutch international link up with Alan Shearer to fire Newcastle to a convincing UEFA Cup win over Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin.

Kluivert grabbed a first-half double to take his Newcastle tally to six goals in just five starts since his summer move from Spanish giants Barcelona.

Not to be outdone, Shearer weighed in with his 16th career hat-trick as United won 5-1 in Israel, underlining the awesome firepower at Souness' disposal.

This season's UEFA Cup campaign will be Shearer's last in a Newcastle shirt but, after signing a four-year deal on Tyneside this summer, Kluivert should have plenty of opportunity to make his mark on the European game.

The 28-year-old scored the winning goal in a European Cup final as a teenager and, after a barren 12 months at the Nou Camp, Souness is confident he has the will needed to re-establish himself amongst the world elite.

"The only doubt about Patrick is his desire," revealed Souness, who has finally finished on the right end of a UEFA Cup tie at the third attempt. "He's a world-class player in anybody's book.

"If Patrick wants it, Patrick will get it because he's got that much class, athleticism and ability that it can only be his state of mind which will prevent him from becoming the best striker in the world in the next four years.

"At 28, he's coming into the best period of his career. He's got the knowledge and the fitness and he's at a great club. In the next four years, whatever he wants he can have.

"I think he's showing the desire he needs and him and Alan are a class act. The longer they play together the better they will become, and I don't think I need to tell anyone that they're world-class strikers.

"I think Alan enjoys playing with Patrick and that feeling is reciprocated - if you're a top player, you want to be playing with other top players."

With Shearer and Kluivert on six goals apiece, United's first-choice strikeforce are in fine form ahead of Sunday's Premiership trip to Birmingham.

But their impressive start to the season has edged out Craig Bellamy and Shola Ameobi, with the former being shuffled out to the right of midfield and the latter looking as far away from the first team as ever as he nurses a hip problem.

Souness accepts that four into two does not go, but argues that the fear of being left out of the side should act as a spur to success.

"My take on football, especially at big clubs, is that motivation mainly comes from the fear of not being in the team," he said.

"It goes hand in hand with being a top player, and that fear of not being in the team should motivate anyone to perform every time they get an opportunity."

Newcastle emerged unscathed from another bruising battle with the Israeli minnows and, while Souness could understand why they adopted a particularly physical approach, he did not feel their attitude did anyone any favours.

"You can understand a team like that playing that way against a side like Newcastle," he said. "You can see why they wouldn't want to give us a game of football.

"But I think they go beyond being aggressive and competitive and they risk injuring themselves.

"I would say they're reckless, and they're as likely to injure themselves as the player they're playing against.

"It was like that in the first game and it was like that again in the second leg. My players have not got involved in anything silly and they should take credit for that."

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