Evan Ferguson has been told he doesn’t need to leave the Premier League to get his career back on track.
The former Bohemians forward burst onto the scene at Brighton in 2022, attracting interest from European heavyweights and even being valued at £100million. However, Ferguson’s career has stalled over the last couple of years.
He endured a barren 33-game streak without a goal at Brighton, which he only snapped last October. Then, after struggling for game time with the Seagulls, he had a fruitless loan spell at West Ham, which yielded no goals in eight appearances.
With Brighton willing to cash in on the Ireland international, Newcastle, Everton and Bournemouth have been credited with an interest, while Celtic have also been mentioned as a potential destination. Ex-Ireland defender Richard Dunne, who began his career in English football at Everton, has faith that Ferguson can get his career back on track.
Asked if the youngster should consider leaving the Premier League, Dunne, 45, told William Hill Vegas: “Sometimes in football, you just have moves that don't work out or moments that don't work out.
“I remember when I started off at Everton, I played 10 or 11 games, thought I had done really well, came back the next season and never played a game.
“You have ups and downs throughout your career and it's just about how you react. I'm sure Evan will be desperate to get playing next year and if that means moving up the Premier League or down the Premier League, whatever it may be, I'm sure he'll do it.”
Dunne believes Ferguson may just need one pre-season to discover the form that made him such a hot property. The former Manchester City and Aston Villa centre-back added: “He's also a player who can turn back up in pre-season.
“He can score 10 goals in pre-season and become a number nine because he's a very, very good footballer. He just needs a run of games, a bit of confidence and a couple of goals.
“There'll be a hundred options for Evan in the summer and it's just sort of making sure he gets the one which is focused on him playing week in, week out.”
Meanwhile, former Ireland and Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given believes Ferguson needs to move on for the good of both his club and international career. Per the Daily Record, Given said: “Maybe because he burst onto the scene that everyone’s been expecting so much so soon. But again, with young players, you need to have a bit of time.
“I just feel he’s ready now to burst onto the scene for a full season with somebody. For us, with Ireland, it would be great too.
"I don’t know if the finances would be to buy him, but if you said for a loan for the season, it would be perfect. But I’m not the financial power at Celtic or Newcastle, so I don’t know.”
