FORMER IRELAND PLAYER Tony Cascarino has told Evan Ferguson that he should rebuff big offers in the future from teams abroad and not follow the footsteps of the likes of Robbie Keane who did so at the age of 19.
After breaking onto the scene at 19 with Coventry, Keane left to join Inter Milan in 2000, but failed to hit the heights he did in England.
He came back to England to join Leeds in 2001 on a loan and that deal was made permanent that year.
Ferguson has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and scored 8 goals in all competitions this year.
Fans of the Irish national team believe that Ferguson could emulate Ireland's record goalscorer (Keane).
Ferguson recently signed a new deal with Brighton, but it's clear that offers for one of Brighton & Hove Albion's prized assets will come again. Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur have all expressed interest in the 19-year-old's potential, but for now, he will continue playing at the Amex.
DUBLIN, IRELAND - MARCH 22: Evan Ferguson of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring(Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)Cascarino, who played for the likes of Millwall, Celtic, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Marseille, and Ireland referenced Keane's move to Inter when speaking about Ferguson and warned him to be careful about his career moves.
"I always say to Robbie Keane, why the hell did you go to Inter Milan at 19?" Cascarino said at a media event this week.
"Robbie's reply wasn't a very good one in my opinion, and I like Robbie, but it was money-based. I don't think he should have made that move at 19. It was a big change."
Cascarino also believes that more money may not be as beneficial for young players like Ferguson.
"One thing is for sure in football, if you play well, someone will reward you with a lot of money, people will chuck money at you, they just will," he added.
"It's the market, so you're going to get the money, just don't be too hungry. Make sure the football is doing the talking. I think there are players who think, 'That's a big new deal, sign that, go to a club and then end up being in and out of the team,' and they go backward. Short-term it can be good for them financially, but long-term it can be really bad."
