Former Tottenham star Robbie Keane says Brighton striker Evan Ferguson "has something special".
Goals have been lacking for the Republic of Ireland since Keane's record breaking international career ended in 2016, with the striker who fired 68 goals for his country giving his verdict on Brighton teenager Ferguson to Betway.
The emergence of Evan Ferguson has been great to watch," said Keane.
"It's a big thing for Ireland to have someone who is playing on a regular basis for a top-10 Premier League club. I've always said that we need to have our best players playing in the best leagues if we want to achieve something and Evan is doing that at a wonderful club like Brighton.
He's got huge potential and a real chance of fulfilling that because he seems to be so level-headed and has clearly been managed well.
"We've seen that he can score goals too, and as a nation we've been crying out for someone who can do that on a regular basis.
Hopefully he can be the man to take that responsibility for Ireland going forward, but I don't want to put too much pressure on him. He's a young kid and I know what it's like to have pressure at that stage of your career. I was lucky enough to overcome it and score many goals.
"Evan's his own person and his own player, and I think he's got something special."