Irish footballer Evan Ferguson has been named on the shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious individual awards in English soccer.
Ferguson, 18, enjoyed a breakout season at Brighton & Hove Albion last season, scoring six goals in the Premier League to finish the season as the top-scoring teenager in the Premier League.
The Co Meath native has been named on the Young Player of the Year shortlist alongside his former Brighton teammate Moisés Caicedo, Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey, and Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, who have both been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award, have also been nominated for Young Player of the Year.
PFA Young Player of the Year nominees. 🏆
The top 6, voted by the players 👏
🔵 @MoisesCaicedo55
— Professional Footballers’ Association (@PFA) August 17, 2023
🔵 Evan Ferguson
🔵 @ErlingHaaland
🔴 @gabimartinelli
🟣 @JacobRamsey41
🔴 @BukayoSaka87 #PFAawards #PFA50 pic.twitter.com/vBYDIkwKrx
To qualify for the Young Player of the Year Award, players must have been 21 or younger as of July 1 immediately preceding the start of the season.
Born in October 2004, Ferguson is at least two years younger than each of his fellow nominees and is the first Irish player to be nominated for the award since Seamus Coleman in 2011.
Ferguson became Brighton's youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer when he scored in their 4-2 defeat against Arsenal last January. He scored a further five league goals between January and May, while he also scored three times in the FA Cup.
He recently scored in Brighton's opening game of the 2023/24 season, scoring the fourth goal in a 4-1 win over Luton Town.
Ferguson also made his full debut for the Republic of Ireland national team in 2023, scoring in a 3-2 win over Latvia in March. He scored his first competitive goal for Ireland in a 3-0 win over Gibraltar in a Euro 2024 qualifier at the Aviva Stadium in June.
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