Evan Ferguson sent a timely reminder to Roma chiefs that he’s there to stay after scoring twice in their comprehensive victory over Celtic.
The Irishman scored just his second and third goals for the club as Roma inflicted more misery on new boss Wilfried Nancy in a 3-0 victory at Celtic Park.
Ferguson, starting just his sixth game of the season, had found his future beyond January under serious threat, having struggled to impress in Serie A.
Roma are after at least one new striker in the transfer window and have identified Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee as an option.
Evan Ferguson keeps Roma dream alive
Reports in the Italian press have suggested Roma were ready to send him back to Brighton by terminating his loan.
That would free up a space to bring in a new attacking option on a temporary deal.
However, his brace against Celtic may be enough to put those plans on hold. Ferguson showed glimpses of the player that once earned him a potential £100million price tag.
His first was a poacher’s finish, showing clever movement in the box to fire home a cross from the right.
Ferguson’s second was superb, as he took a touch away from the defender before instinctively burying his strike into the bottom corner.
It was also the first time he’s scored more than one goal in a game since his hat-trick against Newcastle in September 2023.
The 21-year-old knows he needs to back that up in the league. He has one Serie A goal, which was also his first competitive club goal for 13 months.
A man of few words, Ferguson said after the game, “It’s always enjoyable as a striker to score goals. You have to keep doing what you do every day and see what happens.”
Double trouble 😮💨
Evan Ferguson with a sumptuous finish to register his second for the night and Roma’s third 👀
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/8Ss0Jkni9U
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 11, 2025
Roma manager set for Ferguson talks
Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini set no expectations for Ferguson to remain in Italy beyond the January window when speaking after the game.
His side are four points adrift in the title race, but their 15 goals in 14 games remain the lowest in the league’s top 10.
Gasperini said: “Ferguson did in the match what he’s been doing a few times in training lately.
“He’s young, you have to be patient regardless of the goals.
“The second goal was beautiful. I want him to play with this intensity and this spirit, with this unwavering pace.
“I want him to play and show his qualities on the pitch.
“These are young players who, suddenly, might turn things around and show consistency and improvement in their performances. It would be much better if that were the case.
“But it’s clear that we’ll talk about it later in the January transfer window. We still have a lot of important games to play.”
