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Tate Ferdinand has progressed through the academy set-up and has now signed his first senior contract.

The Ferdinand name is already firmly woven into Premier League history — and now the next generation is ready to make its own mark.

It began with former Newcastle, Tottenham and England striker Les Ferdinand, who scored 149 goals in the competition and sits 12th on the all-time Premier League scorers' list.

Then came his second cousins, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, both of whom went on to enjoy lengthy careers in the top flight, with former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand ranked No.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Premier League defenders of all time.

Now the latest names off the Ferdinand conveyor belt are Rio's sons, Lorenz and Tate, with the latter having just signed his first professional contract with Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion.

Tate has followed his father's path by playing in defence, helping shield his brother and Under-21s team-mate Lorenz, the goalkeeper, who signed a contract himself just a fortnight ago.

Rio said: "Proud moment with the family, my boy Tate Ferdinand signed his first pro contract with Brighton and Hove Albion. Keep up the hard work."

Tate spent much of last season featuring for the Seagulls' Under-18s side before earning a step up to the Under-21s.

Brighton youth coach Bjorn Hamberg, however, was keen to keep the focus on the player himself, saying: "Tate Ferdinand is Tate Ferdinand and he needs to 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."

After emerging through the youth system at West Ham, Rio became the world's most expensive defender when he joined Leeds for what was then a huge £18m in 2000.

Ferdinand broke that record again less than two years later when Manchester United paid £33.3m to sign him.

He went on to justify that fee, spending 12 years at the club and helping Sir Alex Ferguson's side win six Premier League titles as well as the 2008 Champions League trophy.