Ferdinand's son signs for Premier League club as Man Utd icon sends four-word message

The son of Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has signed a professional contract - with Brighton and Hove Albion. Tate Ferdinand, 17, has been playing with the Seagulls' U21s side, having first joined the club in 2024.

He made a huge contribution to the South Coast team last season, playing a key role on their way to reaching the Sussex Transport Senior Cup final. Tate is not the first son of the former England captain to sign a pro deal at the Amex Stadium.

Lorenz Ferdinand, who is a goalkeeper, also put pen to paper on a pro deal in Sussex, having spent some time on loan with non-league side Havant and Waterlooville in the past.

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Over a fortnight since Lorenz committed his future to the club, Tate has followed suit to the delight of a beaming Ferdinand and his ex-team-mate Edwin van der Sar, who left a kind four-word message for the teen prodigy.

Confirming the news on Instagram, the ex-United central defender wrote: "Proud moment with the family, my boy Tate Ferdinand signing his first pro contract. Keep up the hard work.”

Van der Sar was one of the first of Ferdinand’s United team-mates to say congratulations, commenting: “All the best Tate," while Darren Fletcher also wrote: "Love it" alongside some clapping emojis.

Last season, then Brighton U18s coach Bjorn Hamberg did his best to urge fans and other figures in football to not let the fact Tate is the son of Ferdinand put more pressure on his young shoulders.

Hamberg said: "Tate Ferdinand is Tate Ferdinand and he needs to be play his game and have his pathway and career. For us as a team, for the under-18s as a captain, he is a big voice in our dressing room. He is obviously a leader in the back line and playing very well for the moment. I am really pleased for him as well.”

The fact Tate is playing against players who are four years his senior suggests he is progressing at a quick rate. Last season, he made 24 appearances with Brighton's U18s side and even contributed two goals. Considering the trajectory of their careers, it's not impossible that Lorenz and Tate may feature together on the same team, just like Ferdinand did with his brother Anton.

Interestingly, when speaking about their development in 2025, Ferdinand revealed his football prodigy sons often ignored his advice, preferring to listen to the views and opinions of their coaches. He said: "Even though I played, when I told them about football when they were 12, 13, 14 years old, they were like ‘What do you know?'

"They were listening to their football coach – who’d never played a league game in his life or been a professional – and coming in and saying 'But so-and-so said this dad’.”