Brighton’s Evan Ferguson to miss September International break due to knee injury

The 18-year-old forward is set to miss the international break

Brighton’s hattrick hero Evan Ferguson has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against France and the Netherlands due to a knee injury sustained against his club’s win over Newcastle, in which he scored a hattrick to make the final scoreline read 3-1.

His absence from the national team is a big blow to the Republic of Ireland as Ferguson’s red-hot form for Brighton was something that manager Stephen Kenny was relying on to make sure that his team boards the bus for the 2024 Euro Cup next year to be held in Germany.

"Ferguson reported for international duty on Sunday but after assessment from the Ireland medical team, Ferguson has been ruled out of both fixtures," read the Football Association of Ireland's statement.

The Republic of Ireland is in a precarious position at the moment as they sit 3rd in their qualifying group behind France and Greece, and have only won 1 out of their three matches and have lost the other two. They currently have 3 points while table toppers France and Greece have 12 and 6 points each respectively.

They face France in Paris on Thursday and are scheduled to face the Dutch in Dublin on Sunday.

Evan Ferguson has earned six caps in total for Ireland out of which three came in competitive games. According to FIFA regulations, the teenager is still eligible to switch international allegiances and play for England, he qualifies to play for the Three Lions as his mother is of English descent.

If he does decide to switch international allegiances from Ireland to England, he will be joining a list of other players who have done so.  A list which includes the likes of Jack Grealish and Declan Rice.

FIFA regulations state that a player can switch international allegiances if they have made less than four competitive international appearances for their first international team. This means that his next appearance for the Republic will seal his chances to play for England.

However, the player himself has refuted the chance and has expressed interest in remaining an Ireland international for life.