IRELAND'S 17-year-old forward Evan Ferguson scored his first senior goal for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup last night.
Brighton beat Forest Green 3-0 on the night, and it was Ireland's young forward that wrapped up the game with the final goal.
The 17-year-old got in front of his marker and managed to slot the ball past the Forest Green keeper in the 90th minute. He also got an assist on the night.
Andrew Moran and James Furlong were introduced as second-half substitutes for Graham Potter's side.
Ferguson who was a big presence upfront held the ball up and allowed Brighton's play to flow had a fine game according to Potter, but the Brighton coach is tempering expectations for now.
Ferguson was clearly happy with the game tweeted after the game: " 1 goal, 1 assist into the next round"
Evan Ferguson's first senior goal for Brighton! 🇮🇪⚽️🔥 — Kenny's Kids (@KennysKids) August 24, 2022
The first of many from the 17-year-old, I'm sure 🙌#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/jYC33NFvJO
"He is an intelligent player for someone so young, you look at him and you have to remind yourself he is only 17, so he’s got an exciting future I think, he’s level-headed and a humble guy who again wants to just play football, wants to score goals, help the team, so he has got lots of nice attributes, good movement, intelligent, so we are happy with him," he told Sussex Live.
"He is a 17-year-old so I want to be careful with him in terms of his development, but he is training with us every day and never looked out of place, the boys know his quality and attributes, so I wouldn’t want to rush him into anything but at the same time we really believe that he is going to have a really big future," said Graham Potter
Ferguson made headlines in 2019, when he made his debut in senior football in a 1–1 draw with Chelsea in a friendly at Dalymount Park, aged just 14.
He decided to join Brighton after rejecting interest from top clubs in England like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
The Ireland forward has already made his debut for Brighton and is set to become a regular for Jim Crawford's U21 side despite being so young.
In other news Brighton will play Arsenal in November in the third round, but before that they play Leeds at home this Saturday August 27.
