Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has laid down the gauntlet to Evan Ferguson, after reports broke earlier this week that the Irishman’s loan deal is set to be cut short next month.
Ferguson joined the Italian giants on loan from Brighton over the summer, but has struggled to make his mark in the Eternal City.
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Just one goal in four months at the club has brought pressure on the Meath man, and reports earlier this week suggested that the process of sending him back to Brighton early has begun.
Roma are said to be looking at alternative options up front, with Brighton also looking for reinforcements amid something of an injury crisis.
The Giallorossi are in Europa League action against Celtic on Thursday evening, and manager Gasperini addressed the media ahead of the game on Wednesday.
Though he would admit he had not been satisfied with Ferguson’s form for Roma, Gasperini said that his journey in the Italian capital is not over, and that his future is in his own hands.
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Gasperini says Evan Ferguson’s Roma form must improve
“I have nothing against him personally, it’s about the performances. Ferguson had a lot of chances,” Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini said when asked about the Ireland striker’s future in Rome.
Gasperini would compare the situation of Evan Ferguson with that of Mario Hermoso, who also took some time to get firing for Gasperini’s former club Atalanta before gelling with the rest of the team.
The Roma manager laid down the gauntlet to Ferguson, admitting that the Irishman would have to do more to prolong his stay in Rome, but that was something Roma hoped would come through.
We want to wait for him. He’s a young player so you can expect better performances than what he’s produced so far. [Mario] Hermoso is an example of that, I had no relationship with him beforehand, like with Ferguson, but Hermoso’s qualities have helped him become a pillar of this team, not just on a technical level but also in the dressing room and on the pitch.
I hope it can be the same for Ferguson. He’s very young and he was sidelined for a year. What we haven’t been able to get out of him so far, maybe we’ll be able to get out of him in the future.
You get the sense that it is now or never for Evan Ferguson with Roma.
If he gets any minutes at Celtic Park on Thursday evening, a goal from the Irish youngster would certainly do no harm.
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