A PLAYER whose future will be of significant interest to both clubs is unlikely to play any part in the upcoming FA Cup semi-final between Man United and Brighton on Sunday.
Evan Ferguson impressed for 39 minutes against Chelsea last weekend before an awkward fall on his ankle saw him depart the action injured.
There has been no confirmation at the time of writing whether the Meath native will be available for Sunday’s big game, though manager Roberto De Zerbi suggested in the wake of the Chelsea match that the 18-year-old was likely to be out of action for “a couple of weeks”.
However, the manager followed up those comments on Friday by refusing to rule out Ferguson for the game tomorrow, as the player looks to make another quicker-than-expected recovery having done so already after being on the end of a bad challenge from Liverpool’s Fabinho earlier in the campaign.
“The injury situation is not clear yet,” De Zerbi told reporters in relation to Ferguson and teammate Joel Veltman, who is also a doubt. “We will see tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
“We have another two days, so we have time to understand the situation and analyse our situation.”
Ferguson has played a significant part in helping Brighton reach just a third FA Cup semi-final in their history, scoring a brace in the last round as they beat Grimsby Town 5-0, as well as the winning goal in a previous 1-0 knockout victory over Stoke City.
Should he not feature in Sunday’s repeat of the 1983 FA Cup final, the game will be deprived of an intriguing subplot.
Ferguson, a boyhood Man United fan, has been heavily linked with the Red Devils in recent weeks, after a series of impressive performances in the Premier League this season.
It is well-known that Erik ten Hag’s men are currently looking a little short up top.
Marcus Rashford’s recent injury reinforced this point, with neither the injury-prone Anthony Martial nor the game-but-limited Wout Weghorst convincing as viable long-term alternatives.
Reports indicate United are currently in the market for both a younger and experienced centre-forward, and this information alone should give Ferguson pause for thought.
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A move to the Red Devils would be tempting for the Irish youngster in terms of the glamour and the wage increase it would undoubtedly entail, but Ferguson must seriously consider only one question: what is the best next step for his development as a footballer?
The fact that United already have Marcus Rashford and are likely to sign another world-class striker, with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Tottenham’s Harry Kane — two players who would be virtually guaranteed starters should they join — among the leading candidates.
Consequently, the only situation in which Ferguson should currently consider leaving Brighton for a bigger club is if he is guaranteed as many minutes as he tends to enjoy with the Seagulls.
As talented as the player clearly is, that is unlikely to be the case should he sign for United.
Ferguson needs to get to a stage where his performances have reached a level to make him widely considered undroppable, as the likes of Kane and Osimhen are as it stands.
He is clearly hugely valued at Brighton. Roberto De Zerbi has repeatedly sung his praises, though the Italian has also tellingly warned of the work that still needs to be done for the Irish international to become a “more complete” forward.
He is still raw as his performance in Ireland’s Euros qualifier with France illustrated — they were bright moments, but an isolated Ferguson struggled to have a major influence on the game, showed some heavy touches, struggled to hold up the ball on occasion, and looked utterly exhausted by the time he was replaced by Adam Idah in the 65th minute.
The former Bohemians youngster only signed a long-term contract with Brighton last October, tying him down until 2026, though recent reports suggest the Seagulls are now in the process of putting a new and improved deal on the table as they look to wade off potential suitors, with Tottenham also showing a strong interest as they eye a long-term replacement for Kane.
Amid all these rapid developments, from an Irish perspective, it is hard not to get very excited.
But as boring and predictable as it sounds, it is also important not to get carried away.
Arguably not since Robbie Keane has an Irish striker had such a high ceiling, and yet no 18-year-old is guaranteed to enjoy a long and successful career in top-level football.
The margins between ascending to greatness and descending into obscurity are smaller than most fans think, and often it can largely come down to a matter of timing and luck as much as talent.
The last Irish striker to attract similar levels of hype to Ferguson was Brighton teammate Aaron Connolly, who still has one more Premier League goal under his belt than the teenager.
And after a stunning brace on his debut against Tottenham, a mixture of injuries and inconsistent form has seen Connolly’s status drop significantly since then as the 23-year-old currently bids to resurrect his career amid a fourth loan spell in as many years, this time in the Championship with Hull.
Ferguson has all the attributes to avoid that fate and fulfill his potential, but off-the-field decisions will arguably be even more important than what he does on the pitch, and the wisest option, for now, is surely staying at Brighton and targeting more starts and getting his Premier League goal tally into double figures next season.
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Evan Ferguson better off ignoring Man United advances for now
A PLAYER whose future will be of significant interest to both clubs is unlikely to play any part in the upcoming FA Cup semi-final between Man United and Brighton on Sunday.
Evan Ferguson impressed for 39 minutes against Chelsea last weekend before an awkward fall on his ankle saw him depart the action injured.
There has been no confirmation at the time of writing whether the Meath native will be available for Sunday’s big game, though manager Roberto De Zerbi suggested in the wake of the Chelsea match that the 18-year-old was likely to be out of action for “a couple of weeks”.
However, the manager followed up those comments on Friday by refusing to rule out Ferguson for the game tomorrow, as the player looks to make another quicker-than-expected recovery having done so already after being on the end of a bad challenge from Liverpool’s Fabinho earlier in the campaign.
“The injury situation is not clear yet,” De Zerbi told reporters in relation to Ferguson and teammate Joel Veltman, who is also a doubt. “We will see tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
“We have another two days, so we have time to understand the situation and analyse our situation.”
Ferguson has played a significant part in helping Brighton reach just a third FA Cup semi-final in their history, scoring a brace in the last round as they beat Grimsby Town 5-0, as well as the winning goal in a previous 1-0 knockout victory over Stoke City.
Should he not feature in Sunday’s repeat of the 1983 FA Cup final, the game will be deprived of an intriguing subplot.
Ferguson, a boyhood Man United fan, has been heavily linked with the Red Devils in recent weeks, after a series of impressive performances in the Premier League this season.
It is well-known that Erik ten Hag’s men are currently looking a little short up top.
Marcus Rashford’s recent injury reinforced this point, with neither the injury-prone Anthony Martial nor the game-but-limited Wout Weghorst convincing as viable long-term alternatives.
Reports indicate United are currently in the market for both a younger and experienced centre-forward, and this information alone should give Ferguson pause for thought.
A move to the Red Devils would be tempting for the Irish youngster in terms of the glamour and the wage increase it would undoubtedly entail, but Ferguson must seriously consider only one question: what is the best next step for his development as a footballer?
The fact that United already have Marcus Rashford and are likely to sign another world-class striker, with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Tottenham’s Harry Kane — two players who would be virtually guaranteed starters should they join — among the leading candidates.
Consequently, the only situation in which Ferguson should currently consider leaving Brighton for a bigger club is if he is guaranteed as many minutes as he tends to enjoy with the Seagulls.
As talented as the player clearly is, that is unlikely to be the case should he sign for United.
Ferguson needs to get to a stage where his performances have reached a level to make him widely considered undroppable, as the likes of Kane and Osimhen are as it stands.
He is clearly hugely valued at Brighton. Roberto De Zerbi has repeatedly sung his praises, though the Italian has also tellingly warned of the work that still needs to be done for the Irish international to become a “more complete” forward.
He is still raw as his performance in Ireland’s Euros qualifier with France illustrated — they were bright moments, but an isolated Ferguson struggled to have a major influence on the game, showed some heavy touches, struggled to hold up the ball on occasion, and looked utterly exhausted by the time he was replaced by Adam Idah in the 65th minute.
The former Bohemians youngster only signed a long-term contract with Brighton last October, tying him down until 2026, though recent reports suggest the Seagulls are now in the process of putting a new and improved deal on the table as they look to wade off potential suitors, with Tottenham also showing a strong interest as they eye a long-term replacement for Kane.
Amid all these rapid developments, from an Irish perspective, it is hard not to get very excited.
But as boring and predictable as it sounds, it is also important not to get carried away.
Arguably not since Robbie Keane has an Irish striker had such a high ceiling, and yet no 18-year-old is guaranteed to enjoy a long and successful career in top-level football.
The margins between ascending to greatness and descending into obscurity are smaller than most fans think, and often it can largely come down to a matter of timing and luck as much as talent.
The last Irish striker to attract similar levels of hype to Ferguson was Brighton teammate Aaron Connolly, who still has one more Premier League goal under his belt than the teenager.
And after a stunning brace on his debut against Tottenham, a mixture of injuries and inconsistent form has seen Connolly’s status drop significantly since then as the 23-year-old currently bids to resurrect his career amid a fourth loan spell in as many years, this time in the Championship with Hull.
Ferguson has all the attributes to avoid that fate and fulfill his potential, but off-the-field decisions will arguably be even more important than what he does on the pitch, and the wisest option, for now, is surely staying at Brighton and targeting more starts and getting his Premier League goal tally into double figures next season.
Upcoming fixtures (3pm kick-off unless stated otherwise):
Saturday
Premier League:
Fulham v Leeds United (12.30)
Brentford v Aston Villa
Crystal Palace v Everton
Leicester City v Wolves
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest
FA Cup:
Man City v Sheffield United (16.45)
Sunday
Premier League:
Bournemouth v West Ham (14.00)
Newcastle v Tottenham (14.00)
FA Cup:
Brighton v Man United (16.30)
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Analysis FA Cup EPL evan ferguson Premier League talking point team:Brighton & Hove Albion (Football 69)