It wasn't exactly a hate-storm, but Melissa Reddy came in for some flak online yesterday in the wake of her interview with Evan Ferguson.
“I’ve got a lot of Irish friends and they are all asking me, do you think there’s ever a chance he’d switch to England. I don’t think that’s…,” asked the Sky Sports reporter, in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.
“No, no,” Ferguson replied with a grin, before she could finish her thought.
READ MORE: Evan Ferguson shuts down England allegiance switch question on Sky Sports
“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.”
The question led to indignation in certain quarters. But in Reddy’s defence, the first article this correspondent can recall reading regarding Ferguson’s ability to switch was penned by an Irish journalist.
At the time, the 18-year-old had been capped twice by Stephen Kenny - in the November friendlies against Norway and Malta - so was still eligible for Gareth Southgate’s team. He has since won caps three and four against Latvia and France, the latter being a Euro 2024 qualifier.
However - and this point seems to have been missed by many - Ferguson could still technically line out for the Three Lions.
A FIFA rule change in September 2020 means that anyone under the age of 21 can switch as long as they have played no more than three COMPETITIVE games at senior level.
The good news is that Ferguson has no intention of turning his back on the Boys in Green. He never had. We knew that long before yesterday’s interview, but Reddy had every right to ask the question, even if she did so with a smile that suggested she knew what the answer would be.
So, ‘Ferguson for Ireland’ isn’t exactly a shocking revelation.
But the question did hand the 18-year-old a chance to once again demonstrate that it’s not just on the pitch where his maturity levels far exceed his youthful years.
Every time he speaks, you can’t help but be impressed with how he takes every giant development he has made in his career to date in his stride. Ferguson’s language, his tone and his perma-smile suggests nothing can faze the Bettystown bomber.
He finds himself under a blindingly bright spotlight thanks to performances for Brighton; his 10 goals from 22 shots on target and his three assists in just 14 starts.
Ferguson has played a total of 1,218 minutes in all competitions at club level this season, so currently he finds the target with a shot every 55 minutes. He scores a goal every 122 minutes. At 18 years of age. Remarkable.
But it’s not insignificant to his ability to thrive in such an intense world that there is this other side to Ferguson.
In an industry that has long tried to media train every last ounce of personality out of its stars, his charisma shines through as naturally as his prowess on the pitch.
Last month he sat down for another Sky Sports chat and it was put to him that only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland had a better goal involvement rate than him.
His reaction?
“It's not bad is it? It's not bad. Them stats don't lie. I'll keep going.
“We'll see next season. We'll go from the start and see what we can do.”
Years of listening to young footballers speak trains the ear. Some are brash and some are shy, but there are few anywhere near Ferguson’s level who share his breezy, humorous and unflappable style.
Whatever the question, he has an answer that disarms, that raises a chuckle and that suggests that wherever his ceiling may be, he will be entirely comfortable at that level.
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