Brighton make £60m-rated Evan Ferguson available on loan in January

Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson is available on loan this January, with the very promising Republic of Ireland international currently unable to get game time under new manager Fabian Hürzeler.

Ferguson, 20, has only started one Premier League game this season, the club’s away win against Newcastle United in October, and has scored one goal. In terms of Hürzeler’s selections, Ferguson is currently behind Danny Welbeck, Georginio Rutter and João Pedro although any injury or fluctuations in form between now and January could change the picture again. Back to full fitness, Ferguson is desperate to play games.

As things stand, Brighton’s form has been so good that it has been difficult for Ferguson to change Hürzeler’s mind. He is valued by Brighton at around £60 million and would interest any number of clubs on loan. Leicester City, Fulham, West Ham United and Newcastle United have all struggled for goals this season. Ferguson signed a six-year deal with Brighton in November last year and is likely to stay on loan in the Premier League rather than drop down to the Championship.

Ideally, Brighton do not want to sell Ferguson, one of the best young talents in the Premier League. Injuries have slowed his progression this year but he had already shown enough as a teenager to prick the interest of clubs through the division. His hat-trick against Newcastle in September last year was only the fourth in Premier League history by an 18-year-old.

After two strong breakthrough seasons, by the end of March this year he was struggling with an ankle ligament problem. He picked it up against Chelsea in December last year and played on for a few months before eventually having to opt for surgery in April. He had been championed by former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.

The time needed to recover from the injury meant that he missed much of Hürzeler’s pre-season. Since then he has struggled to get in ahead of a resurgent Welbeck and has had to settle for being a late substitute in games. He already has 18 senior caps for Ireland and scored the only goal in their Nations League win over Finland this month.