French football star Kylian Mbappe has expressed his admiration for Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old Seagulls forward has made a strong impression this season, scoring seven goals in 16 appearances for Roberto De Zerbi’s team. Ferguson also scored his first international goal last week, helping Ireland to a 3-2 victory over Latvia. Speaking ahead of France’s match against Ireland, Mbappe praised the young striker’s abilities, saying: “We watched some of his plays, he’s a very good striker. We’ll be very wary of him and, hopefully, we won’t see him much.”
France began their Euros qualifying campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over the Netherlands on Friday, and will be hoping to secure another victory in Dublin. However, Mbappe urged caution, noting that Ireland play with three at the back and are a combative team. He added that France will need to be careful but also attack-minded and aggressive.
Mbappe himself had an impressive performance against the Netherlands, scoring two goals to bring his tally for his country to 38 goals in 67 games. He was also given the captaincy for the game following the international retirement of Hugo Lloris. Antoine Griezmann also started and scored, despite reports that he was considering his France future due to being snubbed by coach Didier Deschamps in favor of Mbappe as captain.
Overall, Mbappe’s comments show that he and his team are taking their upcoming match against Ireland seriously and are aware of the threat posed by their opponents. It also highlights the importance of scouting and preparation in football, as even a relatively unknown player like Ferguson can catch the attention of top professionals like Mbappe.