Milner’s verdict: a teenager with a senior pro’s mindset
At 18, Evan Ferguson is drawing the kind of praise young forwards rarely hear from hardened veterans. James Milner, who has seen just about everything across two decades in the Premier League, says Brighton’s Irish striker has the two things you can’t coach: a ruthless nose for goal and the appetite to keep improving.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Milner described Ferguson as a “great lad” who constantly asks questions and absorbs advice. That’s not small talk. Milner’s been a leader since his mid-20s, and he’s made a career out of doing the basics perfectly. When someone like that singles out a teenager’s habits, it tends to stick.
Milner didn’t dress it up. He called Ferguson’s finishing “phenomenal,” the kind of instinct where, when a chance drops, teammates want it to fall to him. He even pointed to a moment against West Ham when the striker manufactured a shot from almost nothing, flipping the ball to his left and striking without hesitation. That quick trigger is why defenders don’t enjoy marking him—it’s hard to get set when the forward is already two steps ahead.
It also helps that Ferguson is surrounded by the right people. Milner name-checked Danny Welbeck, a model professional who’s played at the top and learned how to survive there. Watch Welbeck game to game and it’s all the little things—timing a press, using his body, knowing when to drift and when to pin a center-back. That’s free education for a young No. 9. And at Brighton, the support system is baked in: a coach who empowers young players, and senior pros who show what “good” looks like every day.
Ferguson’s numbers back up the eye test. Since breaking into the Brighton first team, he’s hit 18 goals for the club and already has three for Ireland. He’s not just dipping in and out of games either; he’s become part of Roberto De Zerbi’s regular attacking rotation, often alongside Welbeck and Joao Pedro. The mix suits him—there’s space to play, patterns that get him in the box, and teammates who see his runs early.
Milner still sees headroom. He talked about “lots of areas” where Ferguson can get even better, and that wasn’t a warning—it was excitement. The message was clear: the foundation is strong, now sharpen the edges. For a striker, those edges are everything—first touch under pressure, timing across the near post, holding the line without straying offside, and making the decision to pass or shoot in an instant.
Brighton’s blueprint—and what comes next for Ferguson
Brighton’s recruitment model is often praised for finding value before everyone else. Ferguson is a case study in how that model becomes a pathway, not just a transfer. The club picked him up as a teenager, built a development plan, and put him in a first-team environment that rewards brave, technical football. De Zerbi’s philosophy turns chances into habit: keep the ball, drag teams around, and attack the box with purpose.
De Zerbi has flagged Ferguson—along with Julio Enciso—as “bigger than their real age,” players who understand Premier League tempo and physicality faster than most. That doesn’t happen by accident. At Brighton, training mirrors the game. Forwards are asked to do more than just finish; they’re central to pressing triggers, the first line of resistance when possession is lost. Ferguson’s willingness to run without the ball, to body up against center-backs, and to stay alive inside the area makes him a clean tactical fit.
For a teenager, game management is often the final piece. Strikers arrive in bursts, then hit plateaus. Brighton try to smooth those spikes with careful minutes, smart rotation, and real competition for places. Welbeck’s presence is crucial here. So is Joao Pedro, who can play as a nine or drop into pockets between the lines. That variety keeps the dressing room honest and protects young legs from burnout.
Milner’s own example matters, too. His pitch-side influence is one thing; what he models off the pitch is just as valuable—sleep, diet, recovery, and routine. Younger players will copy what they see. When the most decorated CV in the room is still doing extra work after training, excuses dry up quickly.
What can Ferguson still add? A few areas stand out:
- Back-to-goal play: Using his frame to bring midfielders in and buy time against tight blocks.
- Variety of finishes: He’s a natural striker, but repetition with headers across goal, across-the-body shots, and low near-post strikes adds goals over a season.
- Pressing cues: Arriving on the defender’s first touch versus the second, and angling runs to show play where Brighton want it.
- Movement on crosses: Double-movements to shake markers and open the near-post channel.
- Decision speed: The half-second reads—shoot, slip a teammate, or recycle—define elite forwards.
None of that is criticism; it’s the normal climb for a young forward. The difference is that Ferguson is already contributing while learning. That’s why his stock keeps rising. Opponents have started to drop deeper to take away space in behind, which is a compliment. The next step is punishing those deep blocks with cleaner hold-up play and sharper combinations around the box.
Internationally, the picture is similar. Ireland need goals, and Ferguson gives them a focal point who can finish and also do the graft. That dual role—target man when needed, penalty-box predator when it opens up—cements his place for years, provided he stays fit and keeps evolving.
Brighton won’t rush this. The club’s track record with young talent suggests patience wrapped in ambition. They’ve shown with players from different continents—Enciso, Facundo Buonanotte, Simon Adingra—that development is a plan, not a hope. Ferguson is at the heart of that plan. Give him time and the right minutes, and he’ll do the rest.
There’s also the reality of the Premier League marketplace. Young strikers who score quickly attract attention. Brighton know how to handle that noise. They tend to sell when value peaks and reinvest smartly—but only when the squad is ready. For now, the best place for Ferguson is where he is: in a system that plays to his strengths and a dressing room that accelerates learning.
Milner put it simply: senior players have a duty to turn flashes of talent into consistent output. That’s where he believes Ferguson is heading. From the way teammates talk about him to the moments he’s already produced—those first-time strikes, the instinctive shifts onto his left, the calm inside rushed situations—he looks like a forward built for this league.
There will be quieter weeks. That’s part of the job. What separates the good from the great is how quickly they reset, how they affect games even when they don’t score, and how they stack the small wins—duels won, runs made, defenders pinned—until the next chance arrives. Ferguson does a lot of that already. With Milner and Welbeck nudging him along, the curve points up.
For Brighton, this is the payoff for patience and principle: a teenager in the right place, doing the right things, surrounded by people who know how to keep the main thing the main thing—goals, growth, and the next game.
