Evan Ferguson has every chance of starting against France in Republic of Ireland's opening Euro 2024 qualifier should he continue his current goal-scoring streak, according to former St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne midfielder Conan Byrne.
Ferguson, who is just 18, has enjoyed a fruitful week for Brighton in the Premier League, scoring in a defeat to Arsenal before netting again and providing an assist on his first top-flight start during Tuesday's 4-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
The former Bohemians striker, who started his burgeoning career with the Phibsboro-based club aged 14 in a friendly against Chelsea, already has two Irish senior caps to his name, having been called up to Stephen Kenny's squad for last November's friendlies against Norway and Malta.
And while Byrne stressed that it is vital not to put too much pressure on Ferguson at this early juncture in his career, he feels the current context for Irish strikers opens a door for the youngster to be heavily involved against France in Dublin on 27 March - should he maintain his rapid progression.
"If he keeps going the way he's going and he comes on [for Brighton] and he scores goals, he'll start against France," Byrne told RTÉ's Game On.
"You look at Michael Obafemi, who has fallen out of favour with Russell Martin at Swansea so you can't really see him starting.
"Adam Idah has done well when he came back from injury. He scored there last week so he's a possibility.
"Troy Parrott is not scoring goals but Evan Ferguson is. This is the mental strength that you would need as a striker and he has great people around him which is really, really important and I think that comes from the St Kevin's and Bohemians link that they've had."
One of those people is his father Barry, whose career took him from Home Farm to England and then latterly to the League of Ireland including a spell as a team-mate of Byrne's at Sporting Fingal in 2008.
Byrne feels Ferguson's father has helped keep his feet on the ground.
"Even when I hosted a podcast a couple of years ago when Evan first made the move to Brighton, I asked Barry and Evan to come on the show but Barry was like, 'No Conan, (Evan) needs to keep his head down and go under the radar a little bit and concentrate on his football,'" he revealed.
"That alone just goes to show that it's all about hard work for him. We hear a lot about physical and technical ability but I think mental strength is really, really important in football and he seems to have that in abundance."
What is also in abundance is the number of Irish players that have come through the ranks at Brighton in recent years.
Indeed, former Bray Wanderers winger Andrew Moran made his Premier League debut in the convincing win against Everton at the age of 19 as he came on as a substitute.
Then on Wednesday, 18-year-old Jamie Mullins' move from Bohemians to Brighton was also confirmed.
Byrne feels the progression of the two teenagers - among others like Inter Milan's Kevin Zefi - from the LOI underage leagues to the likes of Brighton shows the pathway that exists for Irish youngsters.
"You've got players there that have only just played in an Under-17 league final two years ago that are now really trying to make careers for themselves in the game and it just goes to show that the pathway is there now for League of Ireland footballers."
