FOLLOWING THE UNTIMELY injury that has ended Adam Idah’s season, Gavin Cooney and David Sneyd discuss the Norwich City striker’s misfortune – and what it might mean for next month’s Ireland squad – on The Football Family.
The latest instalment of our Irish football podcast is now available to members – one of whom asks if Idah’s setback presents an opportunity for Stephen Kenny to hand a first senior cap to Evan Ferguson when Ireland take on Belgium and Lithuania in the friendly matches scheduled for 26 and 29 March respectively at the Aviva Stadium.
Ferguson, the 17-year-old product of Bohemians, became the youngest player to represent Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League when he was introduced as a substitute in their defeat to Burnley last weekend.
“I’ll be slightly surprised if that happens,” Gav says of the prospect of an imminent Ireland senior call-up for the youngster. “Okay, he played [for Bohs] at 14 against Chelsea and he’s now the third-youngest [Irish] player ever to get a Premier League appearance.
“While things are happening at a very young age for him, there’s also not the sense that things are really being fast-tracked to the extent that they could have been with him.
“There was a feeling among some here when he left Bohs for Brighton at the age of 16 that he was ready to actually play first-team football there, because he did so at Bohs.
“But he spent a relatively long time in the U23s at Brighton and then sat on the bench for, I think, seven of the last nine Premier League games before making his debut at the weekend.
“He has a very strong support network around him, there’s a lot of good advice and they’re playing down any kind of hype. His dad, Barry, was a fine footballer himself, which is always a great benefit to players to have that experience.
“[Stephen] Kenny might surprise us but my hunch is that he’ll be left with the U21s. He’s only 17, he could be U21 for another four years, so my hunch is that he’ll be left where he is for the moment.
“If he catches fire and starts scoring goals in the Premier League between now and the end of the season, then he might become unignorable for the Nations League games.”
Our youngest ever player in @PremierLeague history. 🌟 @Evan_Ferguson9 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6lWD6v99lZ
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) February 21, 2022
Ferguson, a winner of five Ireland U21 caps thus far, has now featured four times for Brighton’s first-team this season. A Carabao Cup outing against Cardiff City last August was followed recently by FA Cup appearances against West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham.
“I think if it was at the start of [Stephen Kenny's] reign when he was properly looking to overhaul things and give a lot of people a chance,” Dave says, “maybe it would have happened then.
“Even though Idah has picked up the injury and stuff, I think there can be a bit more patience afforded because [Ferguson] is still so young.
“He’s the kind of lad who, if he was thrown in, would probably deal with it without a bother. From speaking to people about him he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. So you’re looking at it and thinking, yeah, he could deal with, but you also have to ask does he have to do it?
“If Kenny is looking at these games and wondering what the basis and structure is going to be towards the Nations League, I think it could be just a bit early for Evan Ferguson.”
You can hear the newest instalment of The Football Family, as well as accessing a huge array of other podcasts and newsletters, by becoming one of our valued members.
Details of how to do so for just €5 per month (or €42 for a year) are available here.
