Evan Ferguson still 'the future of Brighton' despite suffering season-ending injury
OUT OF CONTENTION: Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson is set for a spell on the sidelines. Pic: Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson has been reassured he is still the future of Brighton & Hove Albion despite being ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
Ferguson, 19, will miss not only Thursday’s Premier League game at home to title-chasing Manchester City but also the remainder of the campaign.
It is a huge blow to the Bettystown-born teenager, who has scored three goals in 12 caps for his country following an outstanding breakthrough season in 2022-23.
But he has found the current campaign far tougher, despite beginning it with a goal against Luton on the opening day and then scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over Newcastle.
Now his club manager Roberto De Zerbi has revealed he will not play again until pre-season.
The Italian said: “He felt pain in the ankle a lot of times. He tried to move on and play with pain, but in the end he preferred to stop and think about next season.
“It has been difficult. Evan played the first five games and he scored three goals against Newcastle but he’s hardly played since then. He is out for the rest of the season."
Ferguson’s set-backs also include a missed penalty for Ireland against Belgium (although he also scored in the 4-0 victory in Gibraltar), and spending many matches on the bench for Brighton in a season in which Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro have been regularly chosen ahead of him.
But De Zerbi is adamant this is only a minor blip for a player who was linked with Manchester United and Liverpool last season – but who signed a new long-term contract with Brighton in November.
De Zerbi said: “We have to make a difference between injuries and the way of his career.
“The injuries you can’t control. The journey in terms of progressing is different.
“We have to analyse the injuries now, the level of the injuries, and then we can speak, and we can organise and make a plan for the future. For sure he is the future of Brighton.”
That news will come as encouragement for Ferguson who has still made 42 appearances for club and country this season but scored only seven goals, and never quite rediscovered the form he showed a year ago.
De Zerbi added: “You have to accept that a player so young, just 19, can spend a very good moment, scoring goals, and then have a different, opposite, moment. A tough moment. Especially for a striker.
“Sometimes as a striker you can score two goals a game. Then suddenly you are not able to score even with your hand!
“But this is football, and for young players it can happen. They can play one season great and the next season not so good.” Only last week De Zerbi was talking up Ferguson’s future as his side prepared for a match at Burnley, although the forward hasn’t played at all since coming on as a substitute at Anfield against Liverpool in March.
"I think he can play better,” De Zerbi said at the time.
“He's very young and he's already showed his quality .We have a big confidence in Evan. But for sure he has to progress and to improve. Our policy is to help young players, so you accept the mistakes and accept when people are not playing well.”
Ferguson will now focus on his recovery as Brighton bid to reignite their hopes of qualifying for Europe for the second season in a row. To do that they will need to beat title-chasing City at the Amex, with Premier League leaders Arsenal watching on closely.
"Getting to Europe is difficult because we will have to play against top teams in the Premier League," said De Zerbi, whose team also face Aston Villa, Chelse and Manchester United before the campaign ends.
"We play against a lot of teams who are higher than us, but we will try to win them. I am sorry for the injuries, I want to play with my players, I want to play with the best eleven. But it's part of football."
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