Evan Ferguson has one key attribute - apart from his eye for goal - that is fueling his sensational rise for club and country.
Former Brighton midfielder Gary Dicker returned to the Seagulls as a coach two years ago, where he worked with emerging stars such as Ferguson and Jayson Molumby in the underage set-up.
And he has been blown away by the teenager’s ability to block out the noise and distractions that come with success in modern football.
READ MORE: Gus Poyet labels Evan Ferguson a 'special player' ahead of Euro showdown
Ferguson will win his fifth cap in tomorrow night’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Greece.
The game comes on the back of an incredible breakthrough campaign for the Meathman. He scored 10 goals for Brighton and bagged his first senior strike in the March friendly against Latvia.
“He’s had a great season,” said Dicker. “Probably the biggest compliment you can give him, you can talk about his ability, but it’s his mentality for me and his attitude.
“He is probably the most down-to-earth and grounded person that I’ve seen to hit those heights that quick.
“He’ll always relate it back to his family and his circle of friends, who have probably helped guide him. You can see how important that has been for him.
“And he is a great kid as well. He will speak to anyone and do anything for anyone.
“I’m delighted to see him where he’s at. You just don’t want too much pressure on him. He’s 18. It’s madness when you think about it and when you strip it back.
“But he has done ever so well. And to handle all the stuff that comes with it, it’s even harder, especially now in this day and age, you can’t get away from anything.
“You can’t go anywhere or you can’t do anything these days without somebody having an opinion on it or commenting on it or sticking a video up somewhere.
“Brighton is not the biggest of places, so it’s a credit to him.
“That’s probably his biggest strength and that’s probably the strength that the top players usually have, where they can block it all out and get on with it.”
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