Dungannon Swifts boss and former Northern Ireland ahead Dean Shiels believes Terry Devlin has the character and expertise to carve out a bright future for himself within the sport.
Devlin, nonetheless solely 18, shone for the Swifts final season and is a part of John Schofield’s U21s squad for Friday’s Euro qualifier towards Spain at Inver Park (1pm).
Shiels, who gained 14 Northern Ireland caps between 2005 and 2012, mentioned: “Terry is a massive talent and he deserves the recognition he has got from Northern Ireland so far. He has almost been fast-tracked.
Read more:Larne new boy Leroy Millar issues a message of thanks to Ballymena United
“He played most of the season with us as a 17-year-old, but he played at such a high level for such a young player. His attitude is fantastic and he has a great desire to be a footballer.
“I’m delighted that he was called into Ian Baraclough’s recent senior training camp in England and is also now part of the U21s. As a player, he has a real chance.”
Shiels described Devlin, who made his U21s debut in a pleasant defeat to France in Calais in March, as “a bit of an old fashioned, box-to-box midfielder”.
“He’s a very industrious player and aggressive,” he mentioned. “He’s good in the air, competitive with his tackles and he’s also got a good passing range.
“He has had such bad luck with a couple of injuries since I’ve been Dungannon manager, but things really started coming good for him from January on.
“He has impressed and I expect him to have a big impact for us next season.”
Northern Ireland U21s, who’re out of rivalry of their Euro qualifying group, face table-topping Spain at present earlier than concluding their marketing campaign in Lithuania on Tuesday.
Read extra: Larne seal high-profile signing of Ballymena United captain Leroy Millar
Read extra: Trai Hume receives league title medal after shock go to
Sign as much as our free sports activities publication to get the most recent headlines to your inbox.