Evan Ferguson has everything you need to be a top striker in the modern game.
His physical profile is not something you would normally expect to see in an 18-year old, having the strength and nous to hold off imposing centre backs with relative ease. He is also brilliant at dropping off and linking up the play, possessing an eye for a pass and the intelligence to use the spaces on the pitch.
In saying that, it his finishing that makes him such an exciting prospect.
Ferguson certainly knows where the back of the net is, as evidenced by his goalscoring exploits at youth level. That has continued since his promotion to the senior ranks at Brighton, with the player adding to his tally last night.
His goal against Bournemouth was arguably the finest for the club so far.
With Kaoru Mitoma picking the ball up out wide and delivering a low cross into the box, the Irishman would produce a brilliantly deft touch with the back of his foot to steer it into the bottom corner.
What a finish from @Evan_Ferguson9 last night! 🤤✨ @BrightonTools 📺 pic.twitter.com/voqmXVXu77
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 5, 2023
A sublime finish.
For those of who have been keeping a close eye on the player's development over recent years, this passage of play would have looked very familiar.
Evan Ferguson scores identical goal to LOI final winner
Having developed at St Kevin's Boys, Evan Ferguson would make his senior debut for Bohemians as a 14-year old back in 2019. He would continue to star for the club's underage team for the couple of years that followed.
That run included winning the 2020 U17 SSE Airtricity League final, where he would score the second in a 2-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers. That goal was eerily similar to the one he produced last night, right down to the manner in which it was finished.
Take a look.
It’s no surprise to see Evan Ferguson impressing for Brighton yesterday in the FA Cup when he was producing these kinds of finishes just over a year ago in the @sseairtricitylg U17 Final for @bfcdublin ⚽️#bhafc #facup pic.twitter.com/hgtpY10P0n
— Doppler Media (@doppler_media) January 9, 2022
It's clear that he has been developing that particular finish for quite some time, something that is now paying dividends at the highest level.
You can expect to see him pull this one off on a few more occasions in the years to come.