THERE are a number of exciting Scottish Premiership prospects that are worth getting excited about. With that in mind, we'll be revealing our top 10 players under 21 currently plying their trade in the top flight. In order to be considered, players have to be based in Scotland permanently and have to have a significant number of minutes under their belts this season. The likes of Karamoko Dembele at Celtic or Rangers' Dapo Mebude might go on to become stars, but it's still a little too early to say for sure. Without any further ado, here's our number 4...
LEWIS Ferguson might only be 19 years old, but the combative midfielder has already cemented his place in the Aberdeen starting lineup and is one of Derek McInnes' most important players. With Graeme Shinnie leaving for Derby County, a lot of responsibility rests of the young central midfielder's shoulders. Thankfully, this is something that he clearly relishes.
Ferguson has shown himself to be a man for the big occasion. Whether it's scoring on overhead kick in the Europa League in his second game for the club, netting the winner in a League Cup semi-final against Rangers or scoring against the champions, Ferguson has done it all. Of course, there's been the odd unsavoury incident too - Ferguson's meltdown against Celtic in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup comes to mind - but there is no question that the 19-year-old looks set to follow in his dad's footsteps in one day becoming a full Scotland international.
READ MORE: The top 10 Premiership youngsters | 6: Jake Hastie
In terms of the numbers that Ferguson has been posting this season, it is interesting to note that rather than excelling at one or two specific skills, the midfielder is posting pretty good numbers across the board. Ferguson might not attempt as many passes as his team-mates in the Aberdeen midfield, for instance, but he does hit far more shots - and scores far more goals. Only Shinnie averages more interceptions than Ferguson amongst Aberdeen's central midfielders, and, similarly, only Shinnie attempts more dribbles.
The 2018/19 season has been a phenomenal one for Ferguson and if he can maintain his good form going into the next campaign, then the the sky's the limit for the youngster. McInnes has made a concerted effort to blood young players this season as he seeks to rejuvenate his squad, and there is no better candidate than Ferguson for a player to build his new-look team around.
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