Injury-hit Brighton star warned against Celtic summer transfer as concern raised over mental fragility
Republic of Ireland international is currently on loan at Serie A heavyweights AS Roma
Fragile Evan Ferguson has been told that a potential transfer to Celtic this summer could effect his confidence even further amid continued links to the Scottish champions.
The 21-year-old striker, who is currently on loan at Italian giants AS Roma from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, has endured a challenging couple of years with injuries.
And former Republic of Ireland international Andy Townsend has raised concerns over the 26-times capped Irish star’s mental state due to the severity of his setbacks in recent seasons.
While acknowledging Ferguson’s undoubted potential and suggesting he could succeed at Parkhead, Townsend stressed the need for the centre-forward to make some lifestyle adjustments to ensure he is mentally prepares for such a big move.
Speaking to BetVictor, Townsend said: “I'm sure Evan Ferguson has been scratching his head an awful lot. I never had injuries where they were those consistent nagging injuries where you were in, you're out, you're in, you're out. I had injuries, but I was always able to come back and then get going again.
“I think after a while, your initial thought process when you're getting injured is that you’re unlucky. You’re one of those players that's just going to be unlucky with injuries. That's a very natural emotional thought process, I would imagine. But I think now Evan’s at that point, he's got to look the other way and he's got to see what else he can do.
“When players are injured all the time, managers start to look at them differently: ‘You can't be trusted, you're not part of my plans because I just don't know. Will he, won't he, is he going to play, isn't he going to play?’ That's the problem now. So Evan, I think is a bit of a crossroads.
Fitness and form struggles leave questions over Ferguson’s mental resilience
“He'd done so well as a young man, so early on. Since then, it's been disappointing, it's been injuries, it's been a lack of form, it's been other issues. Evan’s now got to look at himself and decide which way he's going to go. Either he radically changes the way that he trains, which [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin has had to do at Leeds. He was a player in a similar situation.
“At Everton, everyone was saying how good he could be, but he was always injured and you could never rely on him. Managers want people they can rely on. Heimir Halgrimmson needs someone he can rely on up front. He's got that with Troy [Parrott], he needs another one. At the moment we don't really have that because Evan can't sustain his fitness and form. I think he's got to radically rethink how he's going about it.
“He's got the ability, we've seen that, but I think his lifestyle now has got to be adjusted in order to give his body the best chance and he's got to do whatever it takes. Can he go at Celtic and score goals? Yes, he could. I genuinely believe he could go to Scotland and score goals. He could cope with the physicality.
“But the mental side of it at the moment, I'm not so sure. He's got to be mentally tough to go and play for a club like Celtic. When you're in and out all the time and you're doubting your body, it's not always easy. So he needs to get his body in a position where it can cope. I hope he can do that.”