Evan Ferguson: Just how good can Brighton and Republic of Ireland's teenage striker be?

The entity seems to beryllium the bounds for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson aft the teenager's hat-trick saw him articulation a precise prime Premier League club.

"It's not atrocious institution to beryllium successful with them boys," the Republic of Ireland striker told BBC Sport.

"Obviously Haaland broke the grounds past play and Son has been doing it for a fig of years, truthful it's bully institution to beryllium in."

Only Michael Owen (28), Wayne Rooney (15) and Francis Jeffers (12) scored much Premier League goals earlier their 19th day than Ferguson. Owen went connected to triumph the Ballon d'Or and Rooney broke the Manchester United and England goalscoring records.

Owen, Robbie Fowler and the precocious Chris Bart-Williams are the lone different players to deed a Premier League hat-trick astatine his age.

Arguably what makes Ferguson's achievements adjacent much singular is that dissimilar each those players, helium did not travel done the English shot strategy and lone joined Brighton successful 2021, having made his Bohemians debut astatine the property of 14.

"He could not beryllium astatine a amended nine astatine the infinitesimal than Brighton nether Roberto de Zerbi," said erstwhile Blackburn striker Chris Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live.

"At 18 years aged helium has large physicality. Just ideate Evan Ferguson successful different 3 oregon 4 years with the improvement helium volition have."

Throw successful assists and Ferguson, with his 10 goals and 2 assists, joins Spaniard Cesc Fabregas (with 5 goals and 10 assists) arsenic the lone overseas players to person reached treble figures successful the Premier League portion aged 18 oregon under.

Last play Ferguson netted 10 goals successful 25 Brighton games successful each competitions - and this season, contempt being connected the seat connected the opening day, helium has 4 goals successful 4 games.

He is astatine a nine who are not acrophobic to springiness unheralded players a chance, with Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister getting large moves this summertime aft impressing astatine Brighton, and Kaoru Mitoma - astir chartless successful England a twelvemonth agone - present 1 of the league's champion wingers.

Not that Ferguson is unheralded successful his homeland. He is already 1 of the archetypal names connected the team-sheet and the Republic of Ireland's champion striking anticipation since the large Robbie Keane.

"I retrieve the absorption to Rooney and that extremity for Everton against Arsenal [when helium was 16]. I tin spot that benignant of happening with Evan," Karl Lamb, who coached Ferguson for 8 years astatine St Kevin's Football Club, told BBC Sport earlier this year.

"He is this happening Ireland person been crying retired for for possibly 10 oregon 15 years. In England, it is similar 'this lad has travel retired of nowhere' whereas successful Ireland it is, 'this lad is the large hope'."

But what could Ferguson spell connected to achieve?

"There's elements of each the large strikers we've seen successful the Premier League successful this man," said erstwhile Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp connected Sky Sports.

"If helium carries connected I person nary uncertainty he'll beryllium a £100m player. He's that good. There's not galore centre forwards similar him. He was magnificent."

But the ex-England planetary added that Ferguson should not beryllium reasoning of leaving the nine immoderate clip soon.

"Right present there's obscurity amended for him," continued Redknapp. "He's moving with an unbelievable manager and large players and learning the crippled wrong out. There are not galore coaches who play that benignant of football.

"He's going to spell connected and execute large things. He tin bash it present for the foreseeable aboriginal and erstwhile the time's close helium tin spell wherever helium wants. He possesses a spot of [Alan] Shearer, a spot of [Harry] Kane, a spot of Rooney. He's got everything successful his locker."

With the transportation deadline closing connected Friday nighttime - ending a summertime wherever Brighton sold implicit £160m worthy of players but look nary worse disconnected for it - determination is nary information of immoderate contiguous transportation anyway.

Albion manager De Zerbi told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We are blessed that the transportation marketplace is closed. It is bully quality for america due to the fact that we privation to support him and we privation to enactment with him to amended him."

Ferguson's archetypal extremity was a poacher's effort, pouncing from adjacent scope aft Billy Gilmour's changeable was parried by Nick Pope. His 2nd was a curler from 25 yards and his 3rd was deflected past Pope.

"It's a bully day," Ferguson said. "The archetypal extremity is simply a striker's thing, you person to beryllium ready. Luckily it fell to maine and I could get it in.

"The 2nd one, we talked astir maine having a spot much clip than I thought successful the archetypal half. In the 2nd fractional I thought I would get it and crook and tried to tally astatine the defence and get a changeable off. Luckily it went successful and it each worked out.

"The 3rd one, it was bully to get it successful disconnected the mark. People are going to accidental it was a deflection but we're going to number it. It's an unbelievable feeling."

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