How Brighton’s Ferguson became Republic’s ‘great hope’

English football has only just been introduced to Evan Ferguson, the Brighton striker who has impressed with a string of fine performances in his debut Premier League season.

On Thursday, the 18-year-old is set to face Manchester United, the club he grew up supporting, and with whom he has a family link – his great-uncle Damien was on the books at Old Trafford in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In his homeland, the younger Ferguson’s breakthrough at Brighton has drawn comparisons with a former United great – Wayne Rooney.

Rooney memorably burst on to the Premier League scene as a 16-year-old in 2002 with a last-minute winner for Everton against Arsenal – and his former youth coach can see a similar story unfolding now.

“I remember the reaction to Rooney and that goal for Everton against Arsenal. I can see that sort of thing with Evan,” Karl Lamb, who coached Ferguson for eight years at St Kevin’s Football Club, tells BBC Sport.

“He is this thing Ireland have been crying out for for maybe 10 or 15 years. In England, it is like ‘this lad has come out of nowhere’ whereas in Ireland it is, ‘this lad is the great hope’.”

‘Technically and tactically, he was miles ahead’

Ferguson’s football connection stretches throughout his family. His father Barry was on Coventry’s books, and had brief loan spells with Colchester, Hartlepool and Northampton before spending the bulk of his playing career in the Republic, and now works for the Football Association of Ireland.

He took his son along to St Kevin’s at the age of four. The club had a tie in with Bohemians, Ferguson’s first professional club, until recently and they remain affiliates; he played three senior games for them before heading for England.

“We were managing Bohemians’ academy teams – they played in our ground, trained with us, we appointed the coaches,” St Kevin’s chairman Michael O’Callaghan says.

“At 14, Evan went to there. A change of jersey was the main difference for him.”

Since Brexit, British clubs have not been able to sign players from the Republic of Ireland until they turn 18 – but Brighton were able to bring him over at 16 because he has an English mother.

His talent had been clear from a young age. Lamb, who worked with Ferguson from when he was six, could see the ability.

“Physically, Evan has always been a big lad, but he played football technically, tactically and in terms of decision making, miles ahead of other people,” he says.

“He rarely relied on his physique. He would see something and try it, and that followed him all the way through.”

‘We knew he was destined for good things’

Right through the age groups, Ferguson left a mark. St Kevin’s is one of the most prestigious clubs in Ireland, boasting Damien Duff and Liam Brady among its alumni, and they regularly faced off against elite academies.

“We had the Academy Cup, where the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Arsenal came over. A lot of people think that was when Evan really blossomed,” O’Callaghan recalls.

Lamb adds: “We took that team all over Europe. Gavi at Barcelona is Evan’s age and he would have played against him numerous times. We had a good team and we made sure to test them; Evan always scored.

“He had a touch of class; he’d be the one player you’d pick out of our team and put in the opposition’s team and he’d have been comfortable.”

National and international attention came in July 2019, when aged 14, Ferguson made a substitute appearance for Bohemians against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly,

“Evan was put into the squad and played; we questioned that,” says O’Callaghan. “Should a 14-year-old be in a dressing room with adults? He got a runout. We knew he was destined for good things.”

Lamb says with a chuckle: “The Chelsea thing for me was like ‘oh, he’s hit another milestone’, but when you take a step back, it shouldn’t be happening.

“It kickstarted the proper hype around him, taking it national and outside Ireland. That was when the madness started.”

Despite the hype, Ferguson’s family have kept his feet on the ground.

“He just went back to being typical Evan,” Lamb says.

“He’s still typical Evan, a really nice lad. He comes from a terrific background, his family are outstanding. They deserve the most credit for how Evan has turned out as a person.”

O’Callaghan says: “I’ve been chairman of the club since 1996. I never introduced myself to him but Evan would walk over, shake my hand and say thank you for all the work I was doing.

“This is a 14 year old boy; you don’t get kids doing that. He saw the bigger picture.”

‘Brighton are perfect for him’

Interest in Ferguson was always high, but Brighton’s ability to spot potential paid dividends and he signed for them in 2021. Last week, he signed a new contract committing him to the Seagulls until 2028.

“Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton were in for him from an early age,” Lamb remembers.

“It is an example of how smart he and his family are that once he went on trial with Brighton, he loved it. I think, if any massive clubs had come back in, he’d still have chosen Brighton.

“The way Brighton use him, in his own half dropping in, linking play with his back to goal and in the opposition half running in behind, you see how good he is at it. He attacks space really well. That for me is the perfect football style for him.”

This season, he has scored four goals in 14 games and is also thriving on the international stage, marking his first Republic of Ireland start with a goal against Latvia.

The noise around Ferguson is not going away.

“Somebody told me that I had to try and quieten things down, but it is very difficult,” Lamb says. “If he keeps doing these things, it is hard not to get excited.”