He'll be warming the bench for England during the next qualifiers is my guess.
Evan Ferguson - Top Irish Prospect
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
They signed another young Irish striker - Mark O'Mahony - from Cork City, this week.
Genuinely thought McT just wanted international football and wouldn't get in the England team.
If this is true good on him. Must be mad though
Fixed that for you. Obviously I will change my opinion totally if the big horse faced git signs for us.
Don’t think this one took much scouting, he played against Chelsea at 14(!) for his previous team.
Actually Mc T wasn't the best example to use, he always considered himself a ScotGenuinely thought McT just wanted international football and wouldn't get in the England team.
If this is true good on him. Must be mad though
There's been a ton of English born players for Ireland. How many Irish born players for England? I genuinely can't think of any.
You owe us at least 1 for Tony Cascarino.
Played well too. Didn’t look out of place at all. Frank Lampard’s first game in charge.
The FAI have basically outsourced player development to Brighton. And given how Ferguson is progressing I am completely ok with that!
None. If you’re born in Ireland you do not play for England, under any circumstances. Those are the rules.
Rules that, for some strange reason, don’t apply in cricket. Actually, rugby also. Thanks to Kieran Bracken.
This one way exchange needs to be remedied! Hand over Ferguson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...tballers_born_outside_the_Republic_of_Ireland
Buy him and loan him back for 18 months.
The Athletic have a piece on him:
Evan Ferguson: Brighton’s ‘Manboy’ propelling push for Europe
Evan Ferguson: Brighton’s ‘Manboy’ propelling push for Europe
The staff down at Brighton & Hove Albion often refer to Evan Ferguson as ‘Manboy’ when they talk about the teenager currently taking the Premier League by storm. It is an apt description since the 18-year-old is giving as good as he gets in physical battles with experienced central defenders, along with scoring goals and contributing assists at a remarkable rate.
Ferguson’s top-flight career is still in its infancy but comparisons with Harry Kane have been made by staff members at Brighton. The striker has bolstered Brighton’s increasingly credible challenge to qualify for a place in Europe next season under Roberto De Zerbi, with three goals and two assists in his last four Premier League appearances.That tally has been made across 190 minutes of playing time — the equivalent of a goal involvement every 38 minutes. Include his first league outing of the season, as a late substitute in the 3-1 win at Southampton on Boxing Day, and Ferguson has 2.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes. That is the best in the league by some distance — better even than Manchester City’s prolific marksman Erling Haaland, albeit from a far smaller sample size.
He also registered a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Forest Green in the Carabao Cup, taking his figures to four goals and three assists in eight games across all first-team competitions this season. The Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers described Ferguson as a “fantastic player” when lamenting how his defenders had allowed the forward to drift unmarked into the penalty area to head Brighton’s late equaliser from Pervis Estupinan’s cross in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium.
The former Brighton striker Glenn Murray, who was co-commentating on the Leicester game for Sky Sports, says: “He made an incredibly difficult header look very easy — the distance, the angle, the power. He had to generate that power himself. It was just perfect really.”
Ferguson has admired Haaland from afar but, at Brighton, he has learnt from Danny Welbeck, the 32-year-old former Manchester United, Arsenal and England forward. “Everything he does, he just tries to make sure it’s the best he can deliver,” Ferguson says. “I’m looking at him every day, trying to learn. If you look at Haaland now as well… with him it’s just the different types of movements he comes up with. When a midfielder gets on the ball, he looks for different ways to find space — little things like that.”
Ferguson showed he is learning fast in the way he set up Solly March’s second goal in the 3-0 win against Liverpool at the Amex earlier this month. He drops deep (see below) to receive a pass from Estupinan, as Kaoru Mitoma makes a run down the left flank behind Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Ferguson turns and bursts into space centrally while March advances between Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate. The through ball is inch perfect for March to collect on the run. March dispatches a left-foot shot to double Brighton’s lead. Note that Ferguson continues his supporting run on the off chance the goalkeeper parries the midfielder’s attempt and there is a rebound to convert.
Yet Ferguson, who signed a new contract on his 18th birthday that runs until 2026, offers more than goals and assists. An employee working in the recruitment department of a rival top-six club, granted anonymity to protect relationships, says Ferguson has impressed everybody with his physicality.
This was evident against Liverpool when, collecting a pass from Mitoma, the 6ft 2in (188cm) striker shielded the ball with his back to goal from the imposing Konate. Ferguson used his upper body strength to shrug off Konate and set up a shooting opportunity for Adam Lallana, which the former Liverpool midfielder dragged wide.
Ferguson clearly relishes those toe-to-toe confrontations. He demonstrated as much on his first Premier League start in the 4-1 win at Everton a few weeks ago. Conor Coady and James Tarkowski — experienced and combative central defenders with England caps — tried in vain to outmuscle and intimidate Ferguson. Yet Ferguson showed an old head on young shoulders, not least with his game management when sensing danger. Mitoma was lying injured in the Everton penalty area late in the first half, leaving Brighton temporarily down to 10 men, when he disrupted the home side’s attempt to build an attack by barging Idrissa Gueye off the ball near the halfway line. It cost Ferguson a yellow card from referee Andre Marriner and angered the Everton players, but Ferguson was far from overawed and went face-to-face with Tarkowski in the melee that ensued.
Everton could not handle Ferguson, who exhibited all the instincts of a natural finisher for Brighton’s second goal. Early in the second half, he looks over his right shoulder, spotting Vitalii Mykolenko about to shut down the space as Jeremy Sarmiento makes progress into the Everton box. As Sarmiento takes on Tarkowski and Mykolenko is drawn towards the ball, Ferguson holds his ground. “He puts the brakes on, then backpedals two yards,” says Murray, Brighton’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 26 goals, a record he shares with Neal Maupay. “That opens up just enough space between him and his marker.” Sarmiento cuts the ball back and Ferguson calmly puts Brighton into a 2-0 lead.
Yet it was another passage of play earlier in the game at Goodison Park that impressed Murray more. In the clip below, Ferguson lurks at the far post, about to make a run inside Mykolenko, as Mitoma feeds in a cross with the outside of his right boot. Ferguson swivels to strike the moving ball with his left foot, hitting the bottom of Jordan Pickford’s right-hand post with the diving keeper comprehensively beaten.
“He uses the pace on the ball to feed it back across goal with his left foot,” says Murray. “That was seriously good. That’s something you might do when you’ve played for a long time, but I haven’t seen that from an 18-year-old. “As you are coming through you want to make your mark and you snatch at things sometimes — you’re so desperate for it to happen. His calmness at that moment is exceptional. So many others might lose their heads.”
Ferguson’s assist for March’s goal at Everton, which gave Brighton an unassailable 3-0 lead early in the second half, showcased his link-up play and movement. He spreads the play to March before making a run across Tarkowski towards the penalty area. Yet, rather than making a beeline for the penalty spot, Ferguson checks his stride, changes direction and makes a dummy run outside March, which serves to create space into which the winger cuts inside. Tarkowski is left floundering on the floor as March eventually places his shot beyond Pickford.
The extra dimension the forward is giving Brighton has benefitted Mitoma as well as March. Take, for example, Brighton’s opening goal against Liverpool, ultimately laid on for March by the Japan international. Alexis Mac Allister is in possession after Joel Matip loses possession. Ferguson’s run into the middle, across Matip, opens up space into which Mitoma can dart. Mac Allister delivers his pass to Lallana just before Matip fouls him. Lallana in turn releases Mitoma, with Ferguson in close support. The focus is inevitably drawn to Mitoma crossing for March to convert past Alisson from close range, but the role played by Ferguson’s clever movement in the build-up to open up the Liverpool defence should not be underestimated.
“His understanding of the game — when to drop it off, when to spin it out, when to hold it up… they’re things that can’t be taught,” says Murray. “They’re things that experience brings, but he just seems to have such a good understanding so early. I’m so impressed as the whole package.”
Ferguson has gone from strength to strength since announcing himself to the Premier League with a goal as a substitute in Brighton’s 4-2 home defeat by Arsenal on New Year’s Eve. The teenager is initially inside his own half, offering himself as an option to Levi Colwill who, instead, plays a square pass to fellow central defender Lewis Dunk. Ferguson simply turns and accelerates into Arsenal territory, trying to latch onto Dunk’s long pass over the top.
The loose ball should be dealt with by William Saliba, but Ferguson pressurises the central defender into an error. “He was very lucky but you are out there to prove a point and chase lost causes,” says Murray. “That ball went past him and Saliba almost knocked it back into his path, but from that point, he’s come alive.
“He was strong against Saliba, who was a little bit off-balance.” Then came the ‘wow’ factor for Murray, with Ferguson slipping the ball past the advancing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. “To have the composure, even with Ramsdale rushing at you… he rolls his studs over the ball, which changed the whole perspective for Ramsdale as it affects his angles,” says Murray. “That one touch — changing the direction of the ball — is almost unteachable.
“You’ve either got it or you haven’t.”
Hopes are high for Ferguson also on the international stage.
He made his first senior appearances for the Republic of Ireland as a late substitute in friendlies against Norway and Malta in November and is now in contention for a competitive debut in the European Championship qualifier against France in March. The excitement around the scale of Ferguson’s potential has been there at Brighton from the moment he was signed as a 16-year-old from League of Ireland club Bohemians in January 2021, amid interest from Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Celtic.
“I’m not surprised by his progress at all,” says Brighton’s former under-18s coach Mark Beard. “He’s a special talent who will go right to the top. He’s got that aura about him, without any ego. He can do everything with the ball. “In my first session with him, he asked to do extras on his own, so I did a shooting session with him. He’s an all-round centre-forward who can shoot with both feet, head, volley, score with his back to goal. I kept testing him but he had no weakness. The two goalkeepers didn’t save one shot in the 10 minutes the session lasted. “I have never seen anything like it.”
Ferguson’s top-flight career is still in its infancy but comparisons with Harry Kane have been made by staff members at Brighton. The striker has bolstered Brighton’s increasingly credible challenge to qualify for a place in Europe next season under Roberto De Zerbi, with three goals and two assists in his last four Premier League appearances.That tally has been made across 190 minutes of playing time — the equivalent of a goal involvement every 38 minutes. Include his first league outing of the season, as a late substitute in the 3-1 win at Southampton on Boxing Day, and Ferguson has 2.27 goal involvements per 90 minutes. That is the best in the league by some distance — better even than Manchester City’s prolific marksman Erling Haaland, albeit from a far smaller sample size.
He also registered a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Forest Green in the Carabao Cup, taking his figures to four goals and three assists in eight games across all first-team competitions this season. The Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers described Ferguson as a “fantastic player” when lamenting how his defenders had allowed the forward to drift unmarked into the penalty area to head Brighton’s late equaliser from Pervis Estupinan’s cross in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium.
The former Brighton striker Glenn Murray, who was co-commentating on the Leicester game for Sky Sports, says: “He made an incredibly difficult header look very easy — the distance, the angle, the power. He had to generate that power himself. It was just perfect really.”
Ferguson has admired Haaland from afar but, at Brighton, he has learnt from Danny Welbeck, the 32-year-old former Manchester United, Arsenal and England forward. “Everything he does, he just tries to make sure it’s the best he can deliver,” Ferguson says. “I’m looking at him every day, trying to learn. If you look at Haaland now as well… with him it’s just the different types of movements he comes up with. When a midfielder gets on the ball, he looks for different ways to find space — little things like that.”
Ferguson showed he is learning fast in the way he set up Solly March’s second goal in the 3-0 win against Liverpool at the Amex earlier this month. He drops deep (see below) to receive a pass from Estupinan, as Kaoru Mitoma makes a run down the left flank behind Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Ferguson turns and bursts into space centrally while March advances between Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate. The through ball is inch perfect for March to collect on the run. March dispatches a left-foot shot to double Brighton’s lead. Note that Ferguson continues his supporting run on the off chance the goalkeeper parries the midfielder’s attempt and there is a rebound to convert.
Yet Ferguson, who signed a new contract on his 18th birthday that runs until 2026, offers more than goals and assists. An employee working in the recruitment department of a rival top-six club, granted anonymity to protect relationships, says Ferguson has impressed everybody with his physicality.
This was evident against Liverpool when, collecting a pass from Mitoma, the 6ft 2in (188cm) striker shielded the ball with his back to goal from the imposing Konate. Ferguson used his upper body strength to shrug off Konate and set up a shooting opportunity for Adam Lallana, which the former Liverpool midfielder dragged wide.
Ferguson clearly relishes those toe-to-toe confrontations. He demonstrated as much on his first Premier League start in the 4-1 win at Everton a few weeks ago. Conor Coady and James Tarkowski — experienced and combative central defenders with England caps — tried in vain to outmuscle and intimidate Ferguson. Yet Ferguson showed an old head on young shoulders, not least with his game management when sensing danger. Mitoma was lying injured in the Everton penalty area late in the first half, leaving Brighton temporarily down to 10 men, when he disrupted the home side’s attempt to build an attack by barging Idrissa Gueye off the ball near the halfway line. It cost Ferguson a yellow card from referee Andre Marriner and angered the Everton players, but Ferguson was far from overawed and went face-to-face with Tarkowski in the melee that ensued.
Everton could not handle Ferguson, who exhibited all the instincts of a natural finisher for Brighton’s second goal. Early in the second half, he looks over his right shoulder, spotting Vitalii Mykolenko about to shut down the space as Jeremy Sarmiento makes progress into the Everton box. As Sarmiento takes on Tarkowski and Mykolenko is drawn towards the ball, Ferguson holds his ground. “He puts the brakes on, then backpedals two yards,” says Murray, Brighton’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 26 goals, a record he shares with Neal Maupay. “That opens up just enough space between him and his marker.” Sarmiento cuts the ball back and Ferguson calmly puts Brighton into a 2-0 lead.
Yet it was another passage of play earlier in the game at Goodison Park that impressed Murray more. In the clip below, Ferguson lurks at the far post, about to make a run inside Mykolenko, as Mitoma feeds in a cross with the outside of his right boot. Ferguson swivels to strike the moving ball with his left foot, hitting the bottom of Jordan Pickford’s right-hand post with the diving keeper comprehensively beaten.
“He uses the pace on the ball to feed it back across goal with his left foot,” says Murray. “That was seriously good. That’s something you might do when you’ve played for a long time, but I haven’t seen that from an 18-year-old. “As you are coming through you want to make your mark and you snatch at things sometimes — you’re so desperate for it to happen. His calmness at that moment is exceptional. So many others might lose their heads.”
Ferguson’s assist for March’s goal at Everton, which gave Brighton an unassailable 3-0 lead early in the second half, showcased his link-up play and movement. He spreads the play to March before making a run across Tarkowski towards the penalty area. Yet, rather than making a beeline for the penalty spot, Ferguson checks his stride, changes direction and makes a dummy run outside March, which serves to create space into which the winger cuts inside. Tarkowski is left floundering on the floor as March eventually places his shot beyond Pickford.
The extra dimension the forward is giving Brighton has benefitted Mitoma as well as March. Take, for example, Brighton’s opening goal against Liverpool, ultimately laid on for March by the Japan international. Alexis Mac Allister is in possession after Joel Matip loses possession. Ferguson’s run into the middle, across Matip, opens up space into which Mitoma can dart. Mac Allister delivers his pass to Lallana just before Matip fouls him. Lallana in turn releases Mitoma, with Ferguson in close support. The focus is inevitably drawn to Mitoma crossing for March to convert past Alisson from close range, but the role played by Ferguson’s clever movement in the build-up to open up the Liverpool defence should not be underestimated.
“His understanding of the game — when to drop it off, when to spin it out, when to hold it up… they’re things that can’t be taught,” says Murray. “They’re things that experience brings, but he just seems to have such a good understanding so early. I’m so impressed as the whole package.”
Ferguson has gone from strength to strength since announcing himself to the Premier League with a goal as a substitute in Brighton’s 4-2 home defeat by Arsenal on New Year’s Eve. The teenager is initially inside his own half, offering himself as an option to Levi Colwill who, instead, plays a square pass to fellow central defender Lewis Dunk. Ferguson simply turns and accelerates into Arsenal territory, trying to latch onto Dunk’s long pass over the top.
The loose ball should be dealt with by William Saliba, but Ferguson pressurises the central defender into an error. “He was very lucky but you are out there to prove a point and chase lost causes,” says Murray. “That ball went past him and Saliba almost knocked it back into his path, but from that point, he’s come alive.
“He was strong against Saliba, who was a little bit off-balance.” Then came the ‘wow’ factor for Murray, with Ferguson slipping the ball past the advancing goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. “To have the composure, even with Ramsdale rushing at you… he rolls his studs over the ball, which changed the whole perspective for Ramsdale as it affects his angles,” says Murray. “That one touch — changing the direction of the ball — is almost unteachable.
“You’ve either got it or you haven’t.”
Hopes are high for Ferguson also on the international stage.
He made his first senior appearances for the Republic of Ireland as a late substitute in friendlies against Norway and Malta in November and is now in contention for a competitive debut in the European Championship qualifier against France in March. The excitement around the scale of Ferguson’s potential has been there at Brighton from the moment he was signed as a 16-year-old from League of Ireland club Bohemians in January 2021, amid interest from Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Celtic.
“I’m not surprised by his progress at all,” says Brighton’s former under-18s coach Mark Beard. “He’s a special talent who will go right to the top. He’s got that aura about him, without any ego. He can do everything with the ball. “In my first session with him, he asked to do extras on his own, so I did a shooting session with him. He’s an all-round centre-forward who can shoot with both feet, head, volley, score with his back to goal. I kept testing him but he had no weakness. The two goalkeepers didn’t save one shot in the 10 minutes the session lasted. “I have never seen anything like it.”
Ok that’s me convinced, sign him up please!
Stop trolling lad. The young fella was playing in the Irish league when he was 14. I suspect he will choose ireland all day long
Fact he is the love child of Duncan and sir Alex
love United to sign him. Miles ahead in development compared to the likes of Charlie McNeil
love United to sign him. Miles ahead in development compared to the likes of Charlie McNeil
Have you not heard about a Meath natives dream to play for England?
Sorry. I was just playing up to the insecurities of a few posters.
He looks a good player.
That’s a great read! Was listening to the manager who brought him through at Bohs and he was saying the same sort of things about his attitude. Sounds like his parents are doing a brilliant job at keeping him grounded but also making sure he knows how hard he needs to work.
Considering he plays for Brighi he won't be fecking cheap if someone wants to buy him
Born in England.
Yeah, if his attitude matches the attributes he’s displayed so far then he can reach the top.
He’s starting against Liverpool today btw & the game’s live on ITV at 1:30pm.
Injured by a really reckless challenge by Fabinho. Would be tragic if it ends up being serious. Looked sharp again.
Fabinho is a fecking thug, hope Ferguson is not injured as badly as that looked.
Like Haaland but with (fewer) achilles
I thought it deserved a red.
Fecking Liverpool.
That can ruin a young player
That can ruin a young player
Terrible challenge on him. Hope he's okay
Hope it's not a snapped achilles. Worst injury in sports.
You never recover from them.
You never recover from them.
The Liverpool cnut may have ruined his career.
That was GBH from Fabinho. fecking cretin.
I hope De Zerbi goes in on Liverpool for this
Absolutely despicable challenge from Fabinho. What a cnut. His reaction afterwards said it all, and these shitty refs spared him. Just like the challenge on Eriksen yesterday.
Shitty, dirty team should’ve had 3 men sent off today.
Shitty, dirty team should’ve had 3 men sent off today.
He’ll be fine. He walked off. Disgraceful challenge though. Back when video refereeing wasn’t the total VAR shambles we’re enduring now Fabinho would have got a retrospective ban. But he can’t now. Because VAR.
Cant wait to see himself and Martin Obafemi up top for Ireland. Nice to have an exciting talent finally appear for us.
Agreed. The fact that VAR seems more concerned with protecting the refs than players, it is a bit of a concern.