EVEN IN FOOTBALL, two things can be true at once.
In an industry of extremes there can be solace – and sense – somewhere in the middle ground.
Everything that has been said about Evan Ferguson since his emergence in January 2023 remains just as valid today as we head into March 2024 with a different kind of spotlight on the Republic of Ireland international.
For all of the praise and expectation heaped on the teenager’s shoulders, now comes a moment of reflection.
His manager at Brighton, Roberto De Zerbi, provided the briefest of insights into his concern about Ferguson’s current form, not just because the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday was the 16th consecutive game in which he failed to score, but of slightly deeper issues at play.
“I think he is good. I think he is not spending the best period of his time but we can help him, we can understand him because he is very young. I think he can play better,” De Zerbi said.
“I think the team needs Evan but the true Evan, on 100% of his physical condition, mental condition, confidence condition. I think he played well but, in such small spaces in the last 20 minutes, 10 minutes, I thought Adam Lallana could be more important than Evan.”
Hardly the sort of assessment to cause alarm bells ringing, more a case of a teenager struggling for the kind of consistency he was beginning to make look so effortless.
The Italian was not pressed further in that section of his post-match press conference about just what he meant by “mental condition”, but it’s easy to take a guess at the issues relating to the physical and confidence issues.
His fine strike away to Nottingham Forest in a 3-2 win on 25 November was his last Premier League goal, and at that stage it looked as if he was simply continuing his record-breaking form.
That effort at the City Ground saw him match Wayne Rooney’s record of 11 goals for a teenager in a Premier League calendar year.
It was his sixth within the first four months of the 2023/24 campaign, coming off the back of a goal at home to Fulham, an opening-day strike against Luton, and a sublime hat-trick when Newcastle United visited the Amex Arena.
That is why the talk continued about how high his star would eventually rise. He’s been rewarded with three new contracts at Brighton, the latest one agreed late last year taking him through until 2029.
There is reportedly no buyout clause on his current deal and the club’s chief executive, Paul Barber, admitted he expects the former Bohemians man to eventually follow a talented list of alumni out the door for a significant fee.
“At some point in the future, Evan’s gonna be playing at an even higher level if his trajectory continues as it is,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we do everything we can to prepare him for that. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, give him as much support as we can.”
That is what will be needed now.
There is a reason all of the Premier League’s elite have monitored Ferguson’s progress over the past 12 months.
It’s not just because the background checks and character references reflect a young man who is grounded with a determination that has helped him develop at a quicker rate than most.
His physical attributes would have only covered up deficiencies in other aspects of his game for a limited time after joining Brighton’s academy.
Ferguson’s intelligence and ability to take on tactical instructions have been crucial factors in thriving under De Zerbi, when a loan move in January 2023 had been on the cards.
His manager has been lauded for the influence he’s been able to have on Brighton’s style of play and helping Ferguson emerge through this period should be seen as the perfect way to highlight his own ability to show he has more to his armour as a coach.
The man-management side of the job is what separates elite bosses from the tier below, so helping the club’s crown jewel rediscover the confidence that has brought him to this point will be a priority.
Likewise, these bumps in the road were always to be expected at some stage for Ferguson so, of course, he must find the focus to navigate them.
You can be sure a goal will help.
Ferguson and De Zerbi are two men on a path to something more and they might just need each other to get there.