England’s Evan Ferguson makes a plea as Gareth Southgate details his strategy for the Brighton starlet.
The question of whether Brighton star Evan Ferguson may abandon his Republic of Ireland nationality has been addressed by England manager Gareth Southgate.
The manager of England, Gareth Southgate, praised Evan Ferguson’s abilities and said he would be interested in attempting to persuade him to transfer from the Republic of Ireland to England. After breaking into Brighton’s first squad last season, Ferguson has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the English game, and Southgate has taken notice of him thanks to a succession of standout displays.
The 18-year-old is the fourth-youngest player to score a treble in the top level after scoring four goals in the Premier League so far this season, including a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory against Newcastle.
Alan Shearer, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane have all been compared to him, and Manchester City is apparently keeping a close eye on his development at the Amex Stadium. The tall striker is valued at over £150 million by Brighton after rumors surfaced earlier in the summer linking him to Tottenham.
Ferguson, though, has already established himself as a full-fledged Republic of Ireland international, and Southgate isn’t optimistic that he can be persuaded to join their ranks after encountering some resistance from the kid.
The England manager told reporters, “I think Ferguson’s played too many games at the senior level. I think he’s got eight caps now.
“I’m not certain whether he cannot, but I believe he has made it quite obvious that he believes he was born in Ireland. He’s a bloody good player, in my opinion. He must be respected; I don’t believe he has given us any indication to the contrary.
We were also keeping an eye on Haaland and wished he would have been available at the same time. But we’re pleased with our number nine, who is a fairly excellent player.
Recently, a number of Premier League players—Jack Grealish and Declan Rice being the two most prominent examples—have switched from representing Ireland to England at the senior international level. In youth competitions, the two both represented Ireland, but they later decided to play for their own nation.
Elliott Anderson of Newcastle, another young player who stood out during the match on the South Coast, may be persuaded after withdrawing from the Scotland camp earlier this week. And Southgate said that they are keeping an eye on him, implying that they would be interested in attracting him to the Three Lions camp.
“Yes, Anderson is someone we like. We believe he is a player who is succeeding brilliantly, Southgate continued. He was obviously brought into their squad earlier this week, but I’m not sure of his current status.
“I noticed he was dismissed from the squad. Check to see whether our organization will be taking that up. We really enjoy him as a player.
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