At the age of 24, Lewis Ferguson has played his way into the limelight this season and is one of the most eye-catching players as part of Serie A surprise team FC Bologna. But now the Scotsman has suffered a major setback – including a European Championship exit
Lewis Ferguson has to come to terms with a very bitter diagnosis. The up-and-coming central midfielder from FC Bologna suffered partial damage to his right cruciate ligament last weekend in the Serie A home game against Monza (0:0).
An operation is necessary, as is a month-long break, which means that Ferguson will not only miss the final league games in the Italian top flight – his FCB is currently fourth in the table and a surprise team fighting for a place in the Champions League. The European Championship (June 14 to July 14) taking place in Germany will also take place without the twelve-time Scotland international.
All in all, a difficult pill to swallow for everyone involved, especially as Ferguson was a permanent fixture both at Bologna under coach Thiago Motta and with the Scots under national team coach Steve Clarke.
“That’s life “
“Lewis Ferguson has undergone a medical examination today and has been diagnosed with a cruciate ligament injury,” the Serie A club officially announced in a statement. The midfielder, who hails from Hamilton in Scotland and made the leap to Serie A in July 2022 via his training clubs Glasgow Rangers and Hamilton Academical and his first long professional spell at Aberdeen FC (2018 to 2022), also spoke out.
Ferguson wrote succinctly on Instagram: “I’m devastated by today’s news, but that’s life. I will do everything I can to come back better and stronger.”
Ferguson (contract at Bologna until 2027 including option) has reportedly long been chased by bigger Serie A clubs and has scored six goals and provided four assists in 31 league games this season, has always been part of the starting eleven apart from one yellow card suspension and has been substituted six times (late on) by Thiago Motta. The cruciate ligament injury also means he will now miss the first highlight of the European Championship – the opening match in Munich’s Allianz Arena on June 14. The Scots’ opponents: hosts Germany