Ally McCoist shares Evan Ferguson ‘concern’ after West Ham transfer announcement. Evan Ferguson’s injury record at such a young age will be a “worry” for West Ham after his loan move from Brighton, Ally McCoist has said.
Speaking on talkSPORT (4 February, 7:06am), McCoist and Jeff Stelling discussed Ferguson and the Irons’ prospects after the 20-year-old’s switch to East London was confirmed on Deadline Day.
Ferguson made his Premier League debut for the Seagulls under current Hammers boss Graham Potter, but the promising start to his fledgling career has since been hampered by various injury problems. Stelling said: “It’ll be interesting to see how Evan Ferguson does, who’s had a difficult 15, 16 months.”
McCoist added: “Yeah, with injury. I really like the lad – I think he can finish, he’s a natural finisher. You just worry about a young lad having fitness issues. “It is a little bit of a concern, but any time I’ve seen him, [he] knows where the back of the net is, and if they can keep him fit I think he’ll score goals.”
Evan Ferguson needs to buck injury trend at West Ham
The Irons’ luck with strikers on the injury front this season has been dismal, and while it’s arguable that they needed to add further depth up front anyway, Ferguson’s injury record will be a cause for concern.
Niclas Fullkrug was Tim Steidten’s big-money signing up front to relieve the pressure on Michail Antonio’s shoulders, but two lengthy spells out have limited the German to just 11 appearances so far. That includes a mere three Premier League starts, and Fullkrug joined Antonio – facing a lengthy lay-off of his own after a car accident – on the sidelines with a hamstring issue that rules him out for months.
As a result, bringing in Ferguson – who has missed over 11 months of football himself in the past year and a half – as the striker to solve the Hammers’ injury crisis up front puts a huge burden on the Irishman.
Ferguson, playing under Potter once again after their time together at Brighton, may well be up for the challenge, and Irons fans will be desperate to see his luck with injuries turn around in claret and blue.
In other West Ham news, McCoist gushed over one returning Hammers player after what he did against Chelsea on Monday.
