Evan Ferguson opens up about moving to Serie A: “It’s hard to say no to a club like Roma” | OneFootball

Evan Ferguson has taken time this international break to look back at his stint in Italy so far. While life in Serie A hasn’t necessarily been easy, with the forward yet to hit the back of the net, the 20-year-old has still had plenty of positive experiences in the Italian capital.

The Irishman spoke to RTE about making the switch to Roma from Brighton, and just what some of the differences are between Italian football and the Premier League.

“The end of last season was difficult,” He began pensively, via ForzaRoma.

“I thought about it and decided I wanted to leave to try something new, since I’d been in England for four or five years. Then Roma came along, and it’s hard to say no to a club like that. I knew it was a big club, but when you arrive, you really realise it’s much bigger than you think. The fans are crazy.”

Regarding the contrasts between the leagues, Ferguson believes these start on the training pitches. “Training is very different from England. You train more, and it’s much more intense. In Italy, rest days are very rare. It’s almost like a celebration when you have a day off.”

Although he’s five games into his loan spell with the Giallorossi without a goal, Ferguson remains intrigued by his new surroundings. Speaking of the in-game differences, the 24-cap Ireland striker continued.

“The game is also different because it’s much more tactical. You almost always play man-to-man. Every week you face teams with different systems. In England, the teams just go back and forth, back and forth… It’s a nice change. Most of my teammates speak English too. Plus, the food in Italy is much better.”

So, following a goalless loan stint with West Ham last season, is the young forward looking to have a McTominay-like rebirth? Does it feel good to leave the prying eyes of the Premier League?

On the topic, the ex-Brighton player said: “I don’t know, maybe it’s the lifestyle. In England, when something goes wrong, that’s all they start talking about.”

Ferguson made a bright start to life at Roma by assisting against Pisa and impressing against Bologna. He is yet to score but the next few weeks will give him the chance to get back into form.

GIFN | Max Bradfield