Ferguson at the right club with the right manager

DANNY WELBECK scored a lovely equaliser for Brighton in last Thursday’s 1-1 draw with local rivals, Crystal Palace. But it wasn’t the veteran striker’s header that made the headlines here on Friday morning.

Instead, it was that Evan Ferguson was left on the Seagulls bench, even as they chased a goal in the second half. Roberto De Zerbi called on the former Man Utd and Arsenal teenager to sharpen a blunt Brighton attack at half-time, while the Irish teenager was left among the substitutes.

Ordinarily, it would just be assumed that the Brighton boss is simply managing the young Irishman’s minutes, given that he is still developing. But as it came in light of the Italian’s comments prior to the Palace game, it was wondered if Ferguson had fallen out of favour.

‘For the young player you can expect a different type of performance. There is a time when they play very well, they score, but in different moments they can suffer [from] the level of competition,’ De Zerbi said. ‘In the last two months Evan suffered, from injury and other things, he can play better. The level of Evan is higher than the level he is playing at in this moment, we have to help him but he has to help himself first of all, to understand better the play, he’s very young, he is like my son and I try everything to help him become a great player for sure.’

When the Bettystown native scored a hattrick against Newcastle earlier this season, he became the hottest teenager in the Premier League, with Alan Shearer and Ian Wright waxing lyrical about his quality on Match of the Day and a UK sports broadcaster earning the ire of Irish social media for asking him why he didn’t want to play for England.

The stellar season promised by the goals scored against Newcastle hasn’t panned out. As de Zerbi pointed out, he has struggled with an injury and the fact remains that Ferguson is still a teenager.

Brighton have invested a lot into the striker. They have recently signed him to a long-term contract and only last week, released a video on their YouTube channel charting Ferguson’s rise from St Kevin’s and Bohemians to the Amex.

It has always felt like Ferguson is at the right club to develop into the striker we all believe he can be. And it also feels like he is under the right manager. De Zerbi has a proven track record of improving young players and knows exactly how much to ask of them at an early part of their career.

Ferguson has played nearly as much already this season as he did in the whole of last season. Given the level of hype and expectation around him, it feels like he is being managed correctly. And under the right manager. There’s no need for any panic.

Brighton host Tottenham on Thursday night, just the type of game where Ferguson may play himself back into form.