EVAN FERGUSON LOST a chance to impress for Brighton against Brentford in the Premier League last night through injury. 

With top scorer Danny Welbeck unavailable for the game with an ankle injury and another forward, Georginio Rutter, on the bench, Irish eyebrows were raised at the fact Ferguson was omitted from the matchday squad entirely for what proved to be a goalless draw. 

It is understood that Ferguson missed out through injury, however, with no information yet forthcoming on whether he will also miss Brighton’s next league game against Aston Villa on Monday. 

Joao Pedro and Julio Enciso led the line for Brighton last night instead: Enciso hit the post during a first-half in which he took eight shots, the highest number by a single player in one half of a Premier League game since 2013. It was Enciso’s first league start of the season. 

Brentford manager Thomas Frank, meanwhile, said Pedro deserved to be sent off for an incident in which he swung an arm at Yehor Yarmoliuk without making contact.

VAR reviewed the second-half incident but deemed there was no violent conduct. “As I understand the rules, you can’t swing your arm to try to hit someone,” said Frank. “If you hit them or not, it’s a red, that’s the way I understand the rules.”

The result leaves Brighton in 10th place – one place and two points ahead of Brentford -  but winless in their last six league games. 

Ferguson has started only two of Brighton’s 18 league games so far this season, scoring once. He has made another 10 league appearances off the bench, but he has never played more than 20 minutes as a substitute this season. Ferguson played more minutes across Ireland’s six Nations League games this season than he has in the Premier League thus far. 

With such limited game time, Ferguson has been linked with a loan move away from Brighton in January, though these reports have been publicly rejected by manager Fabian Hurzeler. Fulham have nonetheless been linked with a move for the 20-year-old Irish striker.