Ireland’s new “wonder child”? “Yes, you can say that,” said veteran Alan Browne about his teammate Evan Ferguson. Today’s opponent in the European Championship qualifiers, Netherlands, has been warned. “Everyone is talking about him.”
Take a look at the Irish selection merits on leading website Transfermarkt.com and you’ll see that one stands out from the rest. A nineteen year old boy.
With a transfer value of 65 million euros, it is worth more than a third of the total value of the Irish national team (192 million euros). He is the hope of the nation.
“Usually you start a sentence about a talent like this: for someone his age… But I can leave that aside for him,” Browne says. “He has everything to be the best striker”
Ferguson is there early
Interest is high, expectations are high, and the story is good. At the age of fourteen (!), Ferguson made his debut in the first team of eleven-time national champions Bohemians Dublin.
Brighton & Hove Albion will sign a contract with the young player, who can also go to Liverpool, at the beginning of 2021. A year later, in February 2022, he will make his official debut in the Premier League. He will be sixteen years old then.
Ferguson has played in 31 Premier League matches so far and scored 11 goals. Start, heel, right, left, close and far.
Big clubs are keeping an eye on him and Brighton this week signed him on a significantly improved contract until the summer of 2029. Ferguson also scored three goals in eight matches for the Irish team. And he’s still young at only nineteen years old.
A special thing
“He really is something special,” continues Browne in his praise. “He was convincing from the moment he joined the national team. I see this every day in training. “You have something in your hand.”
National coach Stephen Kenny, who has a tremendous track record in Ireland, speaks more directly about his pupil. “We’re still at the beginning of his career, but he definitely has talent. And his attitude is excellent.”
His star is rising. Ferguson’s name was even mentioned by Dutch national coach Ronald Koeman at the press conference held in Zeist. Koeman answered the question of an Irish journalist: “We know how good he is.” “He is young, strong and can score goals.”
Koeman saw Ferguson with his own eyes when he came on as a substitute for Ajax and beat Brighton 2-0 at the Johan Cruijff Arena. “His Brighton teammate Bart Verbruggen gave us good information about him.”
His compatriot Browne says that despite all the attention, the Irish football genius cannot be fooled. “Evan is very down to earth. He will not easily think that he is better than someone else.
“Very calm,” continues the midfielder, who comes from Preston North End in the English Championship. he continues, “not even a little calm. Evan mostly talks with his feet.
According to Browne, Ferguson can easily handle the pressure. National coach Kenny thinks differently: “Pressure? There is no pressure on him. “We just want him to play his game and enjoy football.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
