Hamilton boss Martin Canning believes Lewis Ferguson has the same attributes that made another former Accies protege James McCarthy such a success.
Republic of Ireland midfielder McCarthy came through the youth ranks at Hamilton before signing for Wigan in 2009 then moving to Everton for a reported £13million in 2013.
Ferguson, 19, joined Aberdeen in the summer and the midfielder was the Dons’ hero on Sunday when headed in a dramatic winner in the Betfred Cup semi-final victory over Rangers at Hampden Park to set up a final meeting with Celtic.
Preparing for the trip to Aberdeen in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Wednesday night, where former captain Michael Devlin will be in the Dons defence, Canning revealed he is far from surprised at Ferguson’s progress.
He said: “No, not at all. I think Fergie was always going to do that. He would’ve been a big player for us this season as well had he been here. He reminded me of James McCarthy.
“They’re like 27, 28-year-old men in 18-year-old bodies. They’ve got a mind – not just in terms of their maturity, but their footballing knowledge as well, which is good. I guess that’s just natural.
“Fergie had that and obviously Michael (Devlin) is the same. I made Michael the captain when he was 22 I think, so that tells you what I think about Michael as well.
“They’re both good boys. They’ve both come through here and we’re doing our job right, bringing through kids and they’re moving on.”
Asked if Ferguson could emulate McCarthy, Canning said: “I think so. He’s got the mentality, the quality, the size, the physique, the knack to score big goals in big games and play well in big games.
“I think if he continues to go the way he’s going, there’s no doubt he can kick on again.
“We probably wouldn’t have chosen to lose Fergie when we did. Michael had been a great servant for us and the timing of Michael’s one was right for him to move on.
“He’s gone to a big club in Aberdeen, he’s playing in semi-finals, he’s now getting to a cup final.
“So when we’re selling this club to young players, we give you the opportunity to play first-team football, Premiership football and when the timing’s right, you move on to a club you maybe go and win trophies at, or compete for trophies at, and it proves we’re doing our job right.
“The other night, we’ve got the kids in Europe as well (Accies Under-19s reached the second round of the UEFA Youth League after a 3-2 penalty shootout victory over FC Basel 1893), so the next batch are coming again and as a club that’s what we’re trying to do.
“We’ve obviously lost young Greg (Docherty) last year to Rangers as well for good money, so the club’s making money, the players are moving on, we’re getting the benefit of the players while they’re here.”
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