'He's a good one' - Ronald Koeman lavishes Evan Ferguson with praise

Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has revealed he has inside knowledge Ireland striker Evan Ferguson heading into Saturday's Euro 2024 qualifier in Amsterdam.

Koeman has asked Brighton's Bart Verbruggen about his 19-year-old Brighton team-mate as the pair prepare to go head-to-head at the Johan Cruyff Arena, and watched him in person in the Seagulls' 2-0 Europa League win at Ajax last Thursday evening.

Asked about the teenage frontman, the former Southampton and Everton manager told a press conference: "We know he's a good striker. We've got good information from our goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen about him.

"I watched him last week when he came in against Ajax Amsterdam and he's a good one. He's a young one, he's a goalscorer and we have to defend well because he's a good striker."

Ferguson missed September's 2-1 defeat by the Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium with a knee injury and is currently working to shake off a back problem.

How different Ireland's campaign might have been - they have collected just six points from seven games to date, all of them against Group B minnows Gibraltar - had he been fit throughout is a topic for debate.

However, asked if that return reflected their current standing - the Republic are currently ranked 58th by FIFA compared to their opponents' seventh - Koeman said: "Maybe they were a little bit unlucky against Holland at home or France at home, it was a close result.

"It's difficult from my position to analyse every game. Still, we expect they will come to Amsterdam to win the game and to have a better feeling than they have had in the last few games."

The Dutch need victory over either Ireland at the weekend or Gibraltar on Tuesday night to clinch qualification with group leaders France already