Gemmill: Ferguson has advantage of football in the blood
SCOT GEMMILL knows all about growing up in a famous footballing family and he reckons Aberdeen ace Lewis Ferguson has benefited from being immersed in the game from a young age.
Ferguson has made a huge impression at Pittodrie since his summer move from Hamilton Accies with vital goals against Rangers and Burnley as well as some fine performances.
That’s already prompted some to demand the 19-yearold is fast-tracked into the full squad as soon as possible, but for now Ferguson will spend this week in the south of Spain with Gemmill’s Under-20 squad before they face Turkey on Saturday night in Murcia.
Ferguson’s famous family of dad Derek and uncle Barry have been well documented and Gemmill can relate to growing up in a football-obsessed environment, with father Archie scoring Scotland’s most famous goal when he slalomed past a posse of Dutch defenders to net in the 1978 World Cup.
And he reckons Ferguson was fortunate to grow up with such a footballing pedigree.
Gemmill said: “His family background I think gives him a real advantage in terms of that mentality and the right advice.
“I was very lucky to have a famous father too when I was young. I can really be confident he will be getting and will have had a solid upbringing in terms of football and having the correct attitude. I think you’re starting to see that already.
“If I sit and think about it now, there’s no doubt how valuable it is. When you’re immersed in it and you’re part of it it feels completely normal. But only now I can look back and see it through someone else’s eyes.
“That immersion in it, that’s where the real fabric and the real heart of it is. You just live and breathe football in a house, in a family where – and it probably sounds crazy to some people – football comes first.
“Lewis has already scored a couple of really high profile goals. There is no better way to influence games than doing that. He has started really strongly at Aberdeen and has shown he can help the team at a really high level.”
Gemmill has defended his decision to take a game in the middle of a busy season because he wants to take a look at new blood coming through.
He pointed out: “Officially it’s an Under-20 game, but it’s next year’s Under-21 team.
“Access to players is restricted at this level. You have to try to utilise these breaks as much as possible. I’d play every chance we get.”