Amidst Manchester United’s planned midfield revamp, Jacob Devaney is putting forward a good case for himself after his Scotland exploits.
From Elliot Anderson to Carlos Baleba, and Aurelien Tchouameni to Sandro Tonali, Man Utd have been linked to many midfielders.
Ederson’s signing is reported to be close, but it is the club’s history to add a sprinkle of youth players to summer transfers.
After ending his Scotland loan stint successfully, Jacob Devaney is making a great case for himself to be included in these conversations.
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Jacob Devaney keeps St Mirren in SPL
For starters, a Scottish Premiership team taking a chance on Jacob Devaney was a surprise in itself, considering the 18-year-old had no first-team experience before.
However, he has grown remarkably in the half-season he has been in Scotland with St Mirren.
He has experienced the rollercoaster journey of a senior professional, and has ended it now in the best possible manner.
When he went to St Mirren, they were in real danger of getting relegated to the second division.
Almost immediately, Devaney became a key player for the team, driving improvements and catching everyone’s eye.
Ultimately, it all came down to a two-legged playoff against Partick Thistle to stay in the league, and after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, St Mirren won 1-0 to preserve their league status.
Devaney played the full 180 minutes across both legs in a sign of trust from the manager, and looked right at home in such a high-stakes senior football fixture.
It brings to an end a massive success for Devaney, who has likely shot up in the midfield rating charts in the club’s internal assessment of youngsters.
Michael Carrick and Man Utd must trust Devaney
United clearly need new midfielders this summer, but they would be wise to take a punt on some of the youngsters in the academy.
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Devaney’s successful senior loan puts him in a prime position to take advantage of that opening, and his playing style plus leadership skills make him the ideal candidate too.
Carrick recently described how he sees Kobbie Mainoo’s ideal partner in midfield, and Devaney ticks a lot of those boxes.
A strong pre-season could easily see him stay in and around the first team next season instead of going out on another loan.
He is a mentality monster so that scenario is not beyond the realms of possibility.
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