Brighton make Evan Ferguson, valued at £60m, available on loan in January

Evan Ferguson could prove a useful choice for a goals-starved Premier League side – Getty Images/Steve Bardens

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

Ferguson, 20, has started just one Premier League match this season, the club’s away win over Newcastle United in October, and scored one goal. As for Huerzler’s selections, Ferguson is currently behind Danny Welbeck, Georginio Rutter and Joao Pedro, although any injury or fluctuation in form between now and January could still change that. Back in top form, Ferguson is desperate to play games.

As it stands, Brighton’s form has been so good that it has been difficult for Ferguson to change Huerzler’s mind. He is valued by Brighton at around £60m and is said to be of interest to a number of clubs on loan. Leicester City, Fulham, West Ham and Newcastle United have all struggled to score goals this season. Ferguson signed a six-year deal with Brighton in November last year and is likely to remain on loan in the Premier League rather than move 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 progress this year, but he had already shown enough as a teenager to attract interest from clubs across the Premier League. His hat-trick against Newcastle two months earlier in September was only the fourth in Premier League history by an 18-year-old.

Evan Ferguson has already won 18 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring four goals – Getty Images/Seb Daly

After two notable seasons, at the end of March this year he suffered from an ankle ligament problem. He took it again against Chelsea in December last year and played with it for a few months before finally having to opt for surgery in April. He had been defended by former Brighton manager Roberto Di Zerbi.

Recovering from an injury caused Huerzler to miss much of the preseason. Since then, he has struggled to get ahead of a resurgent Welbeck and has had to settle for being a late substitute in matches. He already has 18 senior caps for Ireland and scored the only goal in their Nations League win over Finland this month.