I liked the fact Fergie was a nark and that he seethed with anger when his team lost
SAYS DEREK McINNES
THE narky lad with the two good feet and the familiarsounding name. Go for him. You will not regret it. Derek McInnes has never endured even a momentary second thought about his decision to take a punt on Lewis Ferguson, the 19-year-old he rates as highly as any young player he has ever worked with.
McInnes, who counts £25million Leicester star James Maddison among his former charges, spotted Ferguson — son of Derek and nephew of Barry — before he had even made the breakthrough into Hamilton’s first team last season.
He saw potential. Attitude aplenty. But still found himself surprised by how quickly the kid took to life at Pittodrie following his arrival last summer.
‘Although I didn’t know Lewis, I thought I did — and I thought I knew what I was getting,’ said the Aberdeen manager.
‘I watched him playing for Hamilton’s youth teams against my youth teams at times — and he always left a wee impression.
‘I liked his narkiness, that disappointment and rage when his team didn’t win. I liked his confidence and strength, as well as all the technical stuff on his left and right foot. ‘I actually remember the first time we watched Fergie in a youth game, this was a couple of years ago, and it took me a while before I worked out whether he was left or right-footed. That probably says a lot about me right enough!
‘It was just the way he received the ball, a couple of switches of play, he is just a natural player.
‘The way he runs, heads, tackles and kicks. Everything he does seems natural.
‘When we signed him, you never know how a player will deal with it. It’s quite a big thing for Lewis to come away from his family, he moved into a flat up here and had to deal with that.
‘But, from the first day, we did a testing and he was right up there. And I have a fit team.
‘He looked like a boy who was
ready to play, ready to show his team-mates what he was about. It looked as if he had been preparing for that first day. ‘First impressions are important. He was coming into a successful squad with a lot of good players and he would have been thinking about that first day. He just got on with it and he’s been getting on with it ever since. ‘I remember being in Ireland (in pre-season) and Joe Lewis turning to me and saying: “I really like him”. ‘Lewis got the players’ approval right away, which is important. Because there is a culture here about how we work, how we operate and go about our gym work so we can become stronger and quicker. Lewis got that right away.’
Aberdeen had to pay just over £200,000 in compensation to Hamilton for a player who had come through the youth ranks.
He has since signed an extended deal keeping him under contract with the Dons until 2024, an indicator of just how highly he is rated by McInnes.
Invited to compare the youngster with other players he has seen at this stage, the Aberdeen boss said: ‘He would be up there.
‘He has had a really strong first season, which has been recognised, and it’s now about dealing with expectation.
‘For me, Lewis is a boy who is not fazed by anything. He is so laid back. He deals with everything in his stride.
‘The potential is enormous because, while I’ve played him in different positions, I see him as someone who can score 15, 16, 17 goals from midfield every season.
‘He’s a good finisher, good in the air and has great energy. He is capable of even more — and that’s the exciting part of it.’
Ferguson will be absolutely key to Aberdeen’s chances of stopping Celtic on their march to the treble Treble in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
He seems to relish that kind of expectation, the demand to raise his game against the best opposition.
In a way, of course, he has been raised to understand those sorts of pressures. He had something of a head start thanks to a dad who played for Rangers and Hearts.
And that’s before adding the influence of ‘Uncle Barry’, widely accepted to have been among the best Scottish footballers of his generation.
‘I quickly worked out who he was when I looked down the teamsheet and it dawned on me he was Derek’s boy,’ said McInnes.
‘His mum and dad are a brilliant influence on him. They couldn’t be more pleased with the way things have gone for him up here.
‘They have been huge supporters of Lewis.
‘We were made aware that he rejected an offer from Hamilton. We then met the agent and spoke to Lewis.
‘And I felt, after we did that, he was going to become our player. We felt the right things coming back from him.
‘He is still a young boy but he has treated this season like someone way beyond his years.’