Cole is the hot favourite to be included in the England squad on Thursday for the retired Alan Shearer but 19-year-old Bramble is not being fazed.

His manager, George Burley, compares him to Kevin Beattie, the last great defender from the Ipswich stable and said: 'He is a stronger tackler than Kevin was and he is a great prospect.'

Beattie, whose career was cut short at the age of 26 by a crippling knee injury, added: 'He's a very strong lad and he's very quick. He's got a great future ahead of him.

'He's a bit like me, he dives in a bit sometimes, but I'm sure George and his staff will be advising him to hold back.'

Bramble, 6ft 3in tall and born close to Portman Road, models himself on Sol Campbell, who he played against at Tottenham on Saturday.

'He's a quiet lad with no airs or graces,' said Beattie. 'The crowd loves him. When he is going for the ball there is a buzz going around the ground. He gets forward and he scores a few.'

Burley, who wanted to introduce Bramble into the first team at 17, the same age as Beattie, said: 'Titus was outstanding even then, but he had a few fitness problems. He played a couple of first-team games at 18 but didn't play with them last season. We tried to keep his feet on the ground and he has. He's been brought up in an environment where we have no superstars. He's raw and has to learn, but he's capable of going to the top.'