Ireland were dealt a big blow in their hopes of pulling off a shock against France or the Netherlands this week, with the news that Evan Ferguson will miss both fixtures due to an injury he picked up over the weekend.
The 18-year old striker is the talk of Premier League at the moment, with his hat-trick against Newcastle on Saturday rising the Bettystown man to global prominence.
Unfortunately, a slight knock picked up in that game means he will be unavailable for the games later this week. The decision was taken by the Ireland medical team after assessing him at their team camp in Dublin.
𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 | Ferguson ruled out of @EURO2024 qualifiers
The @OfficialBHAFC striker has been ruled out following an injury sustained in the win over Newcastle United
After an assessment from the Irish medical team, he has been ruled out of both matches pic.twitter.com/c7e5EJDgi5— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) September 5, 2023
His absence certainly hurts Ireland's chances of picking up a much needed victory in either fixture, with Ferguson without doubt the most in-form player in the squad at the moment.
While those two games should be our only concern at the moment, some Irish fans seem to be focussing on a more long-term concern. A quick scan through social media might lead you to a startling revelation: Evan Ferguson is off to England.
It's all nonsense of course.
It was said that Evan Ferguson is still technically eligible to declare for England.
With his mother being English, it was claimed that he would still be allowed to take advantage of FIFA's new eligibility rules and make the switch to Gareth Southgate's side. Under the current laws, a player is allowed to switch nations if they have played no more than three internationals for a country before their 21st birthday, and then do not play for that team for three years.
With Ferguson having played three competitive games for Ireland, it was said he would have been tied to the country permanently had he played in either of the fixtures this week.
However, as Dan McDonnell of the Irish Independent points out, this wasn't even the case. There is no distinction between friendlies and competitive games in those rules.
Can’t believe I am still getting/reading Evan Ferguson to England replies
Leaving aside fact it was never going to happen - it also cannot happen
Read FIFA rules clause (iv) here. No distinction between friendly & competitive. He’s played 6 times pic.twitter.com/7gfloTVREB— Daniel McDonnell (@McDonnellDan) September 5, 2023
Even if he was still allowed to switch, it's time to have a bit of cop on.
Evan Ferguson has always been fully committed to Ireland. He turned up to this camp only to be ruled out by our own medical team. The notion that he would be willing to now pause his international career for three years in order to switch to England in 2026 is laughable.
In fact, the man himself completely dismissed any notion that he would play for England earlier this year.
❌ England
✅ Republic of Ireland
Evan Ferguson says he wouldn’t be allowed back in the country by his dad if he switched allegiances to his mother’s nationality. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/JdGp9S6U1M— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 23, 2023
The reaction to this injury lays out a deep rooted insecurity in the psyche of many Irish fans. For some, they view their own national team as a backup option for those who are not good enough to play for England, with the sagas surrounding the likes of Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, and more recently Tom Cannon fresh in their minds.
Of course, those situations were quite different to this one. The trio mentioned above were born and raised in England and often only considered playing with Ireland after an approach from the FAI gave them the opportunity to experience international football.
Evan Ferguson is a Meath man born and bred, someone who grew up dreaming of the opportunity to play for Ireland. He is now living that dream.
The notion that Ireland are merely a backup option for professional footballers is something that needs to dismissed. Ask any player who has worn the green of Ireland and you can guarantee that a vast majority of them would not swap them for that that of any other nation.
It's time for some supporters to start viewing the national team with a bit more pride.
Don't worry, Evan Ferguson is not switching to England, even if your past traumas are telling your it is now inevitable. As the man himself said, 'I can tell you now, it's a no'.
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