The Brighton player and his Irish team-mates trained in Abbotstown this morning ahead of tomorrow’s flight to Helsinki, with Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side looking for their first points of the Nations League campaign after back-to-back home defeats last month.
The 19-year-old has yet to start under the new Irish boss, appearing off the bench against England and Greece last month, having come back from an ankle injury suffered last April.
The injury would eventual require surgery and saw him miss the last two months of last season as well as Ireland’s June window.
But having since returned to the Brighton squad with three Premier League appearances off the bench so far this term, the Bettystown man insists he’s feeling good ahead of the trip to Finland.
“We will have to wait and see. I feel good. I’ve been back now for a month or two, so I feel good, we will wait and see,” said Ferguson, when asked if he felt ready for 90 minutes this week, with Thursday’s clash in Helsinki followed by Greece away on Sunday.
With Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler hailing the striker’s talent last month, saying “he has the whole package for a striker,” Ferguson shared an insight into what the 31-year-old manager is looking for from him this season.
“He’s not really set challenges. He’s just been talking to me, on what I can do, what needs to be done in his eyes to get playing, what he wants in his system, he’s not really set any goals, just to come back and play as I can.
“It’s hard to say if I can fit into it [Hurzeler’s system] as I haven’t played too much yet, from the outside of things it probably looks like it might suit me better [than Roberto De Zerbi’s system], on the front foot.
“You learn every day. I am good mates with Danny [Welbeck] and I see what he does every day in terms of preparation for training, regeneration and that type of stuff, you learn something new every day.”
Celtic’s Adam Idah was preferred to start in both Nations League games last month, and while Ferguson will hope to feature, fellow striker Troy Parrott has also impressed in recent weeks after making a permanent move to AZ Alkmaar.
The Dubliner scored six goals in 10 appearances to date, including his first European goal, a winner in last month’s Europa League win over Sweden’s Elfsborg.