“We lack a wee little bit of high quality upfront,” was how I keep in mind Martin O’Neill splendidly understating the issue, after a fourth successive scoreless sport within the ultimate throes of his time as Republic of Eire supervisor.
The person who had began his reign with the nation’s biggest ever goalscorer – albeit not at his peak – could not be questioned for looking excessive and low for an additional Robbie Keane.
The reality although was that not one of the many he auditioned may even match the Dubliner’s tumbling purpose celebration, by no means thoughts the craft that led to it.
For this reason there’s a lot pleasure in Irish quarters about Evan Ferguson.
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Callum O’Dowda scored the opener in opposition to Latvia
Not that he is the brand new Robbie Keane – that is a hefty mantle to position on any Irish striker by no means thoughts an 18-year-old with simply 5 Premier League begins – however that finally they seem to have discovered somebody who has the potential to be a lower above what we’ve seen on the Aviva Stadium in recent times.
Ferguson’s purpose in opposition to Latvia this week on his first worldwide begin meant he turned the second youngest participant to ever rating for Eire.
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Evan Ferguson celebrates scoring his aspect’s second purpose
You could have just one guess as to who’s first. Afterwards, nonetheless holding his quantity 19 shirt that he would give to his mother and father, we requested him how he was dealing with the expectation and hype surrounding him proper now. “It is only a sport of soccer,” he smiled.
His dad Barry had an intensive profession within the League of Eire and a short one in England, the place he began at Coventry Metropolis. Again in 2019 he was a dad watching nervously as his 14-year-old son performed a primary senior sport for Bohemians in opposition to the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Pedro as Frank Lampard’s Chelsea got here to Dublin for a pleasant.
Brighton astutely dampened the noise by taking Ferguson to England in January 2021, with Liverpool considered amongst these additionally .
On the south coast it was a house from house as Ferguson was given an Irish welcome from senior professional Shane Duffy, in addition to kids Aaron Connelly and Jayson Molumby who would go onto play alongside Duffy at worldwide stage.
Connolly’s trajectory is a reminder that bursting onto the scene as a teenage ahead within the Premier League does not assure a straight line to the highest.
A Carabao Cup purpose and a primary cap with a couple of minutes off the bench for Eire in November continued Ferguson’s progress however few outdoors of membership and nation knew an excessive amount of about this mature, politely spoken teenager.
All that has modified in lower than three months although, with Premier League targets in opposition to Arsenal and Everton bookended by elegant finishes within the FA Cup final Sunday, that helped take Brighton to a Wembley semi-final.
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Ferguson reveals his delight at scoring for his nation
His coolness in entrance of purpose is not the one factor that offers him a doubtlessly excessive ceiling. Nurturing Brighton supervisor Roberto De Zerbi has been delighted with the teenager’s skill to be “a midfielder away from purpose and a striker within the ultimate 20 yards.” One of many sport’s biggest purpose getters Gary Lineker mentioned: “I see an actual centre ahead earlier than my eyes.”
The sense of delight in Eire about this prodigious younger expertise is clear. It has been a very long time since their gamers formed Premier League narratives. So lengthy, that you may make an argument for Roy Keane nonetheless being essentially the most talked about participant within the nation – such is the protection he continues to get seemingly each time he speaks. He retired from taking part in in 2006.
Poor Evan is {the teenager} having to fill voids left by two Keanes.
However the early indicators are splendidly thrilling. Monday evening in opposition to France will inform us extra.