Kylian Mbappe praises Brighton's Evan Ferguson ahead of Ireland vs France
Kylian Mbappe has identified Brighton's teenage striker Evan Ferguson as a threat ahead of France's trip to Ireland on Monday
Kylian Mbappe says he and his team-mates have been shown video footage of Brighton's Evan Ferguson ahead of France's Euro 2024 qualifier against Ireland on Monday.
Ferguson has scored seven goals for Brighton this season and the 18-year-old netted on his debut for Ireland against Latvia last week.
"We saw some clips of him, he’s a good striker and an important player," Mbappe said on Sunday.
"It's his first season as a striker, an important striker for their team. But we hope tomorrow that it is not good for him and we will win.
"We want to do a good job but he is a good player."
France coach Didier Deschamps also spoke about Ferguson and cited Ireland's 'new generation' of players ahead of Monday's match.
"There is a new Ireland generation now with new players," he said.
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"Ferguson poses a threat, [he's] a good player. [Mikey] Johnston as well has joined the team. It is a mix of young and experienced players. Ireland are known for being direct and vertical in how they play but from what I’ve seen in recent games they are capable of playing the ball along the ground as well."
Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.