Evan Ferguson is far from your average 18-year-old. No mention of the Leaving Certificate and not a hint of shyness under the media glare.
After four Premier League goals from eight appearances for Brighton this season, his injury withdrawal before last month’s Euro 2024 qualifier defeats to France and the Netherlands could have been marked by a week of national mourning.
Already, Ferguson’s importance to Irish football feels incalculable.
“It was such a big window and I was looking forward to playing the two games,” he said after Ireland training in Abbotstown on Tuesday. “The injury held me back and I couldn’t do anything. I just went back to get into rehab and tried to get myself fit.
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“I watched the two games, two good performances and I’m looking forward to the two games we have now.”
When Ireland manager Stephen Kenny put his absence down to an ongoing patellar tendon issue, concerns sky-rocketed about the longevity of this once-in-a-generation striker as it’s a similar injury to what curtailed the careers of Alan Shearer and Ronaldo.
Are you fully fit now? “I am good, yeah.” Having not played 90 minutes since scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle United on September 2nd, more information was requested.
“I think if you see most of the games, I don’t think many of the attacking players play 90 minutes. At the moment, I am all good.”
Fresh from bouncing off Nathan Collins and Shane Duffy at the first Irish session before facing Greece on Friday night, Ferguson came directly to the media room, where he held eye contact with every journalist before delivering polished, succinct answers.
How does he cope with the spotlight? “I’m not sure, I think it’s just trying not to pay too much attention to it. Obviously, if you go on your phone you are going to see stuff, the positive and the negative, you are going to see it everywhere so it’s about trying to not concentrate on it.
“We have games coming thick and fast [at Brighton]. It’s hard to concentrate on stuff when you have games coming every three or four days. You see stuff and it all is just media talk. You have to try to concentrate on what you can control.”
BBC’s Football Focus recently delved into his family background, which allowed him to silence the British media narrative about his English connection through his mother Sarah potentially leading to interest from Gareth Southgate.
An old head on broad teenage shoulders, what about his peers? With only eight Irishmen currently at Premier League clubs, how does he see the international side’s progress in the 2020s?
“I think it’s hard to say. It’s individually how players get on. If you go over to a club in England young, Brexit has killed it a little bit in terms of players, but they can go away to teams in Italy and stuff.
“I think the Premier League is the best league and everybody wants to play in it, so it’s not easy to get in and play. You see Andy [Moran] going away to the Championship [on loan to Blackburn Rovers] and doing well. He could come back and get a chance and see how he goes from there.
“I think it’s good, we’ve got a good young squad in the first team and good players coming through. We’ve just got to wait and see and give everyone a chance.”
Handled like an old pro, far from your average 18-year-old.
