RICARDO Vaz Te enhanced his reputation as one of Europe's best young strikers when he kicked off the Toulon Youth Tournament with a hat-trick on Thursday night.

The 18-year-old Wanderers starlet stole the show as Portugal crushed South Korea 4-0, opening the scoring in the 38th minute then adding two more in a decisive three-minute spell in the second half.

It was an impressive performance by any standard but in such a prestigious tournament - Toulon attracts some of the top young talent in world football - it underlined the potential that was nurtured at the Reebok academy and which saw him break into the first team ranks last season.

"I was delighted with my performance," he said. "To score a hat-trick on the international stage is truly amazing.

"I want to come out of the tournament as one of the leading strikers and it would be fitting if we were good enough to go all the way to the final."

Vaz Te, who scored his first senior goal in Wanderers' FA Cup win at Oldham in January, is determined to establish himself as a regular in Sam Allardyce's Premiership squad next season.

"Bolton is a great club and I'm delighted to be part of the continuing success," he added.

"It's going to be a massive season for everyone at the club and I want to push myself to the limits and get in the side on a regular basis.

"It's down to me to prove that I'm good enough and excellent preparation throughout the close-season should help me achieve this."