Evan Ferguson lauded by teammates

Evan Ferguson’s teammates were quick to praise the Ireland striker after his hat-trick in Albion’s 3-1 victory over Newcastle.  

But they were also keen to avoid putting any extra pressure on his young, if broad, shoulders by making any comparisons between the 18-year-old Dubliner and more established players. 

“He’s incredible,” said Lewis Dunk. “I think he’s shown that on the biggest stage in the world. He should be proud of himself.  

“He’s a humble boy, which is the best thing about him. He doesn’t get carried away with anything. That’s not going to change, the way he works hard every day.  

“He’s a young kid who’s got a lot of potential still to improve. What he’s doing now in the Premier League is incredible, but he’s got much, much more still in the locker.” 

Asked if Ferguson reminded him of any other goal-scorers, the skipper replied,  “He’s a unique boy – the power he’s got, the strength. And his finishing ability is incredible.  

“He’s got things he needs to improve on, and he’s working on that in training, his link-up play. I think he showed today that he’s learning from this manager, and this manager can take him to the top, top level.”  

Pascal Gross, who became the club’s top Premier League scorer when he notched his 27th top level goal against West Ham United, thinks that Ferguson has a good chance of overtaking him before long. 

“A big chance! The way he scored here, we see every day in training. He is a natural goal-scorer. Unbelievable finishes. 

“He has the lot. He can finish with left or right and he is strong, quick and his hold up play was all very good.  

“He is really young, improving every day here with the gaffer and it helps him a lot. He is his own player, that is good and he just has to keep going and working hard.” 

James Milner has played with some top strikers including Alan Shearer at Newcastle, Sergio Aguero at Manchester City and Mo Salah at Liverpool. But he refused to be drawn into any comparisons.  

“I did play with Alan Shearer,” he said. “They are both very good goal-scorers. But I don’t really want to compare him to anyone, because as soon as I do that it puts pressure on him – I want to make sure his head doesn’t get too big!  

“But he’s a top talent and has started his career fantastically well. Hopefully he has a long one ahead.”  

Milner also drew attention to less obvious sides of Ferguson’s game as well as his ability to put the ball in the net. 

“Evan set the tempo early on, he closed down and blocked a ball going forward,” he said. “That might seem a minor thing looking at the game overall, but it sets a tempo. It shows his intent without the ball.

“And anyone who knows him so far in his young career, knows he is an unbelievable finisher. And when he is doing the ugly side of the game too and being the first line of defence, he was outstanding. 

“He is still so young but what a player for us and the ceiling is very high for him. The first goal, that was the sign of a goal-scorer – that natural movement in the box, sniffing out the chances, being on the move expecting a slip. 

“He scores all types of goals and it’s up to us to keep his feet on the ground and keep driving him and keep pushing him.  

“The manager is on him hard as well, because he knows how good he can be and wants him to improve. 

“He is a great lad with a great attitude, and he can only get better.”