Jacob Devaney names Man United star he wants to emulate after stunning St Mirren debut | OneFootball

Manchester United youngster Jacob Devaney has identified a first-team player he wants to follow in the footsteps of, following his impressive debut for St Mirren.

Devaney’s debut

Devaney secured the first loan spell of his career in the closing stages of the winter transfer window as he sealed a move to St Mirren.

Having impressed in United’s youth ranks, it was deemed that the next logical step in Devaney’s development was to have regular first-team minutes in a competitive environment, hence the club sanctioned a temporary switch to the Scottish Premiership outfit.

Devaney made his debut on Tuesday as St Mirren beat Hearts 1-0.

Having completed his move just one day prior, Devaney was thrust into the starting lineup and played a crucial part in the win. He was instantly given responsibility for set-pieces and provoked a sending-off against the league leaders.

The midfielder managed a pass accuracy of 78%, fired one shot and touched the ball 50 times. He also completed five carries.

Devaney was also brilliant defensively, winning six of the nine ground duels he delved into. He made three clearances and four recoveries before being taken off after 70 minutes.

By all accounts, it was a memorable debut and it appears the 18-year-old has big dreams. He spoke to journalists and revealed that he wants to emulate Kobbie Mainoo, who is now seen as one of the staple players at United.

Devaney’s ambition

Devaney said when asked who he admired as United[as quoted by the Manchester Evening News], “In my position, Kobbie Mainoo is a great one to look up to. He’s done what I want to do, which is go through the academy.”

“My journey might look a bit different to his in coming here, going back and trying to break through. I like to think I back myself. I backed myself here to go in, do well and perform. I feel like I have that confidence to go on and push through. I’ve grown up a United fan so it would definitely be a dream to play for them.”

“Even with the youth teams and Under-21s we get the chance to play at Old Trafford, which is something not many people can say they’ve done. Hopefully I can go on and do it in front of 75,000.”

Devaney revealed Darren Fletcher’s role in his development.

“I’ve worked with Darren. He came in when I was with the Under-14s or Under-15s. The career he has had at United has been amazing. Everyone speaks so highly of him in terms of his footballing ability. Again, with his coaching, we did position-specific sessions with him.”

“He’s a great coach to have around the building for me. Because the move happened so quickly, it was hard to ask about, but I’m sure if I did, he would have recommended it.”

“But John McGinn is a prime example of what is achievable here. He has gone on to Aston Villa and done great things and hopefully I can do similar.”

Devaney said about his debut, “This is the reason I came to St Mirren. I want to challenge myself at this level and improve my all-round game. I’m really proud and hopefully I can bring this into the rest of the season. It’s a lot different playing here compared to playing in front of little crowds or no crowd at all.”

“The football is different but I’ve had experience of it in the EFL Trophy games. I really enjoyed the challenge and hopefully I can kick on from now. United told me they just want me to get used to the style of football. I’m used to very possession-based football.”

He added, “Going into games, we might try and dominate the ball but there may be times where we have to concede having the ball. They just told me to enjoy the challenge and bring the things that I’ve learned back in the summer, and I’ll be a better player for it.”

“The last two days before the game have been long! I was up at five o’clock on Monday morning driving up. I think that’s why I was cramping up before I came off. I’ve really enjoyed it and everyone has been very welcoming towards me. It’s a great set of lads.”

St Mirren return to action on Friday when they face Airdrieonians FC in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

Featured image Lewis Storey via Getty Images

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