Brighton to block Man Utd's pursuit of wonderkid

James Shearman

• Updated: 30 Mar 2023 18:22 BST
• 3 min read

Brighton are attempting to block Manchester United's interest in Evan Ferguson by tying him down to a new deal.

The Seagulls will soon offer Ferguson a long-term contract, according to The Sun.

The Ireland international, who scored on his national team debut against Latvia last week, is having an impressive season at just 18 years of age.

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Already labelled a wonderkid, Ferguson has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 16 appearances for Brighton in the 2022-23 campaign. But it's his mature, well-rounded game that has caught the eye of Europe's top clubs.

The Irishman is a throwback centre forward, more interested in hold-up play and aerial prowess than running in-behind.

He is certainly one to look out for in years to come, particularly if he continues to develop at Brighton. It wouldn't be a bad thing for him to miss out on a move to United this summer.

Romano on Ferguson to Man Utd

''I can tell you that Man Utd scouts have already followed the player two or three times in the last three or four months,'' Romano told the United Stand. ''He’s a player that Man Utd are already following. But there are many other clubs because he is a really special and talented player.

''Brighton’s feeling is that they want to keep him for at least another season, so I’m not sure it’s going to be easy to sign Ferguson in the summer. And the player is happy there. He knows that Brighton is the best place to develop and them move maybe in the summer of 2024. So the situation is not easy at all.

''It’s true that Man Utd are alongside many other clubs. It’s absolutely normal to have your scouts around Europe following the best talent and he’s for sure one of them.

''A player like Rasmus Hojlund is more accessible than Ferguson at this moment. So we’ll have to see in the summer.

''With Brighton it’s always tough to negotiate and the expectation for them is probably to lose Moises Caicedo and probably to lose Alexis Mac Allister, so for Brighton it will not be an easy summer but for sure there will be strong negotiations for Ferguson.''