Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has backed Evan Ferguson to become one of the best players in the Premier League.
And he hopes Ferguson, who the Seagulls believe will become a £100m (€115m) player, will remain at the club for a long time to come, despite interest from Premier League rivals and beyond.
Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma and clubs from Spain and Germany are keeping tabs on the 18-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Brighton this season, including a brace last weekend against Southampton.
READ MORE: Evan Ferguson shuts down England allegiance switch question on Sky Sports
De Zerbi said: “He is only 18 but we have to control the age because he seems to not be a normal 18.
“He is a great player, he is already a great player and I think he will become one of the best players, the best strikers in the Premier League.
“And I would like if he can stay with us for a lot of years.”
Sky Sports have reported that Manchester United academy director Nick Cox recently described Ferguson as a “£50m-plus mistake”.
United were one of the clubs where Ferguson - a Red Devils fan - spent time on-trial, before opting to join Brighton in 2021.
Yesterday, the teenager reacted to the description of him as potentially a €115m player.
“I’d say it’s strange,” he said, “because it has happened so quickly.
“I was only getting in around New Year, I think that’s when the Arsenal game was, so that’s when my little run started.
“From New Year to now has gone so quickly and you hear so much talk. And my first international goal as well (against Latvia in March). It’s just been one big blur.”
He added: “That (the goal for Ireland) was incredible, the home fans and my family… when you know your friends and family are there, I don’t think there’s a much better feeling.”
Ferguson also shot down the idea that he would switch nationalities and represent England.
The youngster, whose mum is English, said: “No, no. I’d seen a few… obviously my mam is English, so that’s where the tie comes in. I’ve seen a few saying, will he, will he?
“But I can tell you now, it’s a no.”
He paid tribute to Brighton boss De Zerbi and his teammates for helping him step up to the pace of the Premier League.
“I think it’s just down to the lads, really, they make you feel very comfortable,” said Ferguson.
“The gaffer especially, when you are on the pitch you know what you have to do. He makes sure that you know what you have to do.
“When you have all those people working together, that can only bring the rest of us up.
“When you have managers like that looking, I think it says a lot.
“We do a lot of stuff out on the training pitch, so it’s the gaffer’s ideas and we are just trying to play our way and trying to do our own bit, but it is exciting.”
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