Brighton's rising star Evan Ferguson among the six players get first Republic of Ireland U21 call up

Cardiff City’s Joel Bagan and Crystal Palace’s Jake O’Brien are part of their first ever Ireland squad

Evan Ferguson

Brighton’s 16-year-old striker Evan Ferguson has been fast-tracked into Ireland’s U21 squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Luxembourg.

It marks a breakthrough week for the ex-St Kevin’s Boys forward, who was handed his first-team debut by Seagulls boss Graham Potter in Tuesday’s EFL win at Cardiff City. His clubmate Andrew Moran also earns a maiden call-up for the opening Euro 2023 qualifiers, as does Cardiff City’s Joel Bagan and Crystal Palace’s Jake O’Brien.