What a dream couple of days for 21-year-old midfielder Devenny who, fresh from a debut on Saturday in the best League in the world, will now be dreaming of playing for Michael O’Neill’s side in the Nations League.
Devenny has been a regular in Tommy Wright’s Under-21 squad, but once he started for Palace against Fulham at the weekend, O’Neill decided the time was right to promote him and join the other young guns who have fired the country to the top of the table in the Uefa tournament.
The former Airdrie ace described playing his first game in the Premier League as ‘an amazing moment’ and would relish the chance to feature in O’Neill’s side in the upcoming Nations League matches against Belarus at Windsor Park on Friday and away to Luxembourg on Monday.
Born in Scotland, Devenny qualifies for Northern Ireland through his mum and is an exciting addition to the senior panel.
O’Neill said: “The number of players we have pushed through from the 21s in the past 12 months is extremely high and Justin has been on that pathway.
“Obviously Justin having made his Premier League debut has accelerated things, and with there not being an Under-21s camp in this international window, it’s great to have him in. We know what he is capable of, and it’s a good opportunity for him.”
Wright has been a champion of Devenny since he was manager of Kilmarnock where the midfielder was a youth team player.
After moving from Killie to Airdrie, he sparked for the Diamonds which led to a move to Palace in August last year.
He impressed for the Eagles Under-21 side in his first season at the club and this term has been involved in the first-team squad, consistently showing up well in training which encouraged Palace boss Oliver Glasner to play him from the first whistle in Saturday’s London derby.
Fulham may have won the game 2-0 but there were promising signs from Devenny in his 74 minutes on the pitch on what was a memorable afternoon for him and his family.
Over the next week, there could be more special times to come should he play against Belarus or Luxembourg.
In October, Devenny scored his first goal for Wright’s Under-21 side in a 5-0 victory over Azerbaijan.
He will join a squad high in confidence after a stunning 5-0 success of their own against Bulgaria at Windsor in the Nations League when Isaac Price netted a hat-trick.
Northern Ireland enter the double-header as group leaders aiming to collect six points against Belarus and Luxembourg.
There is an injury worry concerning Rangers winger Ross McCausland, who was involved for Rangers against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday but was unable to train on Monday due to a niggle.
O’Neill added: “All the boys have come into the camp in good form off the back of the games in October.
“We just did light training today, but there will now be three days of hard work leading into the Belarus game on Friday.”
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Under-19s manager Gareth McAuley has named Celtic talent Francis Turley in his squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers.
Turley withdrew from the Under-19 Euro Finals in the summer on the eve of the tournament after being included in the Celtic first-team’s pre-season tour to the USA.
The midfielder has since made his League debut for the Glasgow giants and has made a positive impression on Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers.
McAuley’s team will compete in Group 11 in the Qualifying Round for Euro 2025 this week and next against Israel, Denmark and hosts Albania.
They face Denmark on Wednesday at the Niko Dovana Stadium in Durres (11am BST) before facing Israel at the same venue and same time on Saturday. They finish on November 19 versus Albanian at the Elbasan Arena (2pm BST).
The top two teams in 13 groups and the best third-placed team will join top seeds Portugal in the Elite Round next spring. The seven Elite Round group winners will join hosts Romania at the Finals next summer.
Interestingly, McAuley’s panel includes two players who featured in the Under-17 team that successfully reached their Elite Round last week – Arsenal’s Ceadach O’Neill and Glenavon’s Paul McGovern.
Eight players who were involved in the Under-19 Euro Finals have been named in the squad – Mason Munn, Josh Briggs, Tom Atcheson, Aodhan Doherty, Jack Doherty, Blaine McClure, Dylan Stitt plus Braiden Graham.
NORTHERN IRELAND UNDER-19 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mason Munn (Rangers), Ben Metcalf (Sunderland)
Defenders: Tom Atcheson and Aodhan Doherty (both Blackburn Rovers), Conor Haughey (Fleetwood Town), Matthew Orr (Linfield), Harry Lynch (Glenavon), Josh Briggs (West Ham United), Senan Devine (Coleraine), Keevan Hawthorne (Cliftonville)
Midfielders: Blaine McClure and Callum Burnside (both Rangers), Francis Turley (Celtic), Dylan Stitt (Luton Town), Jack Doherty (Fleetwood Town), Ryan Corrigan (Cliftonville), Cole Brannigan (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Braiden Graham (Everton), Ceadach O’Neill (Arsenal), Paul McGovern (Glenavon)
