After scoring your first ever Premier League hat-trick, few would expected to hear from their driving instructor.
But that's not the case for Evan Ferguson, who was sent a touching video tribute by his instructor following his stellar performance on the weekend.
The 18-year-old picked up the match ball against Newcastle United on Saturday after he netted three goals at The Amex Stadium, taking the Seagulls to sixth-place in the Premier League table.
Ferguson was first to react to a rebound in the six-yard box, before doubling his side's advantage with a sumptuous curling finish around the hour-mark. Five minutes later, the Republic of Ireland international completed his hat-trick with the help of a deflection off Fabian Schar.
Plenty of supporters and pundits alike were quick to heap praise on the young striker, with Match of the Day pundit Gary Lineker even comparing him to Erling Haaland.
But few were as happy as Ferguson's driving instructor, who posted a heartwarming montage of his student on TikTok, alongside the caption: "Very proud of you", and three clapping emojis.Fans were quick to react to the video on Twitter, with one user writing: "Need someone as supportive as Evan Ferguson's driving instructor."
"He looks like such a nice bloke," another remarked.A third wrote: "Mates gone through footage and photos congratulating him. Didn't have to do it. What a great bloke."
"What a bloke, my instructor was fuming when I passed", another fan joked.
Speaking after the game, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was equally complimentary of the forward's performance, predicting him to become "one of the top scorers in Europe".
"His improvement is important for him, for us, for his career because he's working to complete his qualities, not only score, because he can become big, big, big," the Italian told reporters.
"His qualities are enough to become a great player, one of the top scorers in Europe.
'He's [born in] 2004. I don’t know how many young players like Evan they score these goals in their careers."
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