Dual international Craig Wing says Jarryd Hayne has the potential to dominate rugby like no other player has in the past 15 years.
Hayne on Monday shocked fans around the world when he announced his retirement from the NFL after playing eight games with the San Francisco 49ers to chase an opportunity to play Rugby Sevens with Fiji at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, beginning August 5.
The Australian Rugby Union is believed to be interested in Hayne at a time when major drawcard Kurtley Beale is set to join the exodus of Wallabies to rich northern hemisphere clubs.
However the 28-year-old Hayne's short-term plan to seek a Rio Olympic berth with gold medal favourites Fiji would make him ineligible for the Wallabies.
The former Parramatta NRL star has flown to London to link up with the Fiji Sevens team ahead of the final round of the Sevens World Series this weekend.
Hayne has just 81 days before the start of the Olympics, but his shock decision has been endorsed by Roosters premiership winner and Japan rugby international Wing.
The NSW representative star said Hayne has the ability to become a star in the same fashion as All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu.
When asked by Channel 9's Danny Weidler if Hayne has the potential to become a worldwide star like Lomu, Wing said: "Definitely".
"I remember when he first signed to go over to America and it pretty much broke the internet. I definitely think he could be a worldwide sensation."
Wing said Hayne's status as a free agent following the Olympics will spark a bidding war from rival NRL clubs.
"I'm really looking forward to the bidding war that comes about at the end of all this," he said.
"Whichever team he goes to, he is going to be a huge asset."
While Wing believes Hayne will be a huge success, fellow dual international Lote Tuqiri said Hayne appears to have made the switch too late in time to make an impact for Fiji at the Olympics.
"It's a tough game and I don't know if he's (Hayne) got the conditioning at the moment or had the conditioning to play Sevens rugby," het old rugby.com.au.
"It's one big shock not only to the body but to your lungs.
"If he earns his keep and if he gets there on his own merit, (Fiji coach) Ben Ryan will play it that way, I don't think Fiji or the boys will have too much of an issue with it."
He said rugby teams in Europe and Japan will be interested in signing Hayne.
"If he wants to play Super Rugby, any team would have him but I think any team would have him around the world to have him play in Europe or Japan or different places," Tuqiri said.
"The world's his oyster and has been for a while."