16 September 2023 , 07:00
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More than a few people will be squirming in their seats at Old Trafford if Evan Ferguson takes to the field against Manchester United on Saturday.
Since breaking into the Brighton team last season, Ferguson, 18, has established himself as one of the most electrifying prospects on the planet. No other teenager in Europe can match the 10 league goals that the striker has plundered in 1157 minutes since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Ferguson may have only evolved into a household name over the past 12 months, former Brighton Under-18 coach Mark Beard has been aware of the Irishman's prodigious talents for years.
Beard spent three years coaching Ferguson in the Seagulls' academy. The youngster was just 14 years old when Beard was informed that he would be training with Brighton's Under-18s. Naturally, he had some reservations. Speaking to Mirror Football, Beard recalls: "I remember asking: 'Will he be alright physically?' Then I was told: 'You'll know what I mean when you see him'. When I did see him, it was like, wow. I get it."
The impact that Ferguson made even at that age was seismic. First-team players would often catch a glimpse of the forward when he trained at the Elite Football Performance Centre; some would even quiz staff about him.
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Academy chief John Morling was the man who alerted Brighton to Ferguson's raw talent; he had worked with him personally at age-group level in Ireland and had a good relationship with Ferguson's father. That led to Ferguson training with the Seagulls' youth team during school holidays.
Even though he was exposed to an age-group far beyond his tender years, Ferguson didn't encounter any major setbacks before settling on the south coast permanently. Even on one of the rare occasions where he was deemed to have had a bad game, he still managed to score twice in a Premier League Cup quarter-final triumph against Southampton.
Beard adds: "People used to ask how he'd do when he was playing against players who were similar to him size-wise. They can catch up in terms of size, but technically he's on another level. He's not a player who just relies on pure physicality; he was 14 and he was handling 18-year-olds."
An eye-catching cameo against Chelsea at the age of 15 for Bohemians catapulted Ferguson onto the radar of just about every big club worth their salt. Beard admits that Ferguson's performance, which came just months before he officially put pen-to-paper with the Seagulls, "absolutely killed us".
Evan Ferguson is still on Manchester United's radar after slipping through their grasp as a teenager (Getty Images)Fittingly, though, it was Ferguson's father, Barry, who kept his son's feet on the ground. Ferguson Sr had already played an influential role in his son's development both on and off the pitch long before that fateful afternoon. He is the person who has been attributed for Ferguson's love of football by the man himself.
A defender by trade, Ferguson Sr carved out a decent career in Ireland playing for the likes of Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. He had pre-warned his son of the media frenzy that was likely to occur if he got on the pitch - he wasn't wrong.
In some ways, the furore that has surrounded Ferguson ever since that match has still yet to cease. It wasn't long before the big guns came calling, but Brighton had an ace up their sleeve: Morling.
Beard adds: "Manchester United wanted him, Chelsea come in for him, Liverpool [too]. A few clubs came in once his name was out there, but we were always confident he'd come to us because of the relationship John Morling had with his family."
Ferguson has already won full international honours for the Republic of Ireland (Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)Morling's relationship with the Fergusons may have enabled Brighton to win the battle for his signature at 16, but Manchester United are not yet ready to admit defeat when it comes to Ferguson. It emerged earlier this week that the Red Devils are still courting the highly sought-after teenager and believe he could be prised away next summer, albeit for a premium price.
To do so, United may have to shell out more than double the £72million they paid to acquire the services of Rasmus Hojlund. His value will only inflate, too, over the next 12 months if his current trajectory continues.
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The Red Devils passed on the opportunity to test Tottenham's resolve for Harry Kane this summer, but Beard can see marked similarities between the England captain and his former striking prodigy.
"I've never seen anyone who can finish like him," Beard says after recalling an intense training drill that Ferguson was put through on his first day after signing terms with Brighton. To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Ferguson made mincemeat of the challenge and was given a standing ovation by the two England youth goalkeepers who had the misfortune of being in goal.
"I tested him with all different types of shots: side foot, laces, volleys from all different angles. Every single one, left foot, right foot, was just flying in. The goalkeepers were just like: 'Give us a chance'.
"He's not a poacher like Gary Lineker. He's probably as close as a player as I've seen to Harry Kane. If you go back through all his goals so far, every single one is different."
The goals Ferguson plundered against Newcastle a fortnight ago - his first senior hat-trick - perfectly punctuates Beard's point. Ferguson has already proven that he is capable of both the ordinary and the extraordinary; screamers and tap-ins.
Perhaps the comparison isn't lost on Ferguson himself, either. Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this year, he said of his and Kane's ability to link play from deep: "You see strikers now, like Harry Kane, the way they drop in… I wouldn't be surprised if he played midfield as a kid.
"I can understand the kind of run to make or when to delay a pass. It's helped me be more complete."
Mark Beard spent three years coaching Ferguson at Brighton (brightonandhovealbion.com)Despite being plagued by a knee issue during the international break, Ferguson is expected to play a part against United at Old Trafford on Saturday. That means Ten Hag will get the opportunity to run the rule over him personally ahead of next summer's transfer window.
Manchester United academy director Nick Cox has previously admitted that allowing Ferguson to slip through their grasp as a teenager was a "£50m-plus mistake". Already, Beard believes Ferguson will become a £150m player - even if he doesn't know it yet.
"I said he'd be the next big thing back in lockdown," Beard concludes. "He can do anything; I don't think he realises how good he is."
Ferguson may not be, but everybody else certainly is. And nobody will be more aware of it this weekend at Old Trafford than the Manchester United hierarchy, who are more likely to be ruing what could have been rather than what the future may hold.