'Don't think I would have seen that' - Honest Portsmouth boss makes Terry Devlin admission as Wrexham target's stock continues to grow
Terry Devlin has propelled himself into a real start performer for Pompey this season.
John Mousinho has admited Terry Devlin’s emergence as a key Championship operater for Pompey at right-back this season is something he wasn’t anticipating.
The honest Blues head coach confessed it’s a transformation he wouldn’t have predicted when the Northern Irishman was plucked from Irish League side Glentoran for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2023 as a 19-year-old - and a central midfielder.
He also conceded the converted full-back’s current importance is in stark contrast to the position he found himself in at the beginning of the campaign, with the fan favourite having to wait until November for his first league start.
Before being handed that starting XI place against Wrexham at Fratton Park, the 22-year-old had accumulated just 149 minutes of Championship football following nine substitute appearances, while his only 90-minute run-out came against Reading in the first round of te Carabao Cup.
Since then, however, Devlin - who has, nevertheless, always been highly-rated at the Blues - has propelled himself into an automatic starter for Mousinho. He’s started 18 of Pompey’s past 19 games, been a breath of fresh air as the Blues continue to fight for their Championship survival, produced a bagful of man-of-the-match performances, and currently finds himself as Pompey’s second-highest goalscorer with five goals this season.
Two of those efforts came during the Blues’ impressive midweek win against Charlton, a victory that moves Devlin & Co up to 19th in the table and four points clear of the drop zone.
And as the young Ulsterman - who was the subject of a reported £2m approach from Wrexham in January - prepares for his next challenge against Millwall on Saturday, Mousinho has admitted it’s an evolution that has taken him by surprise somewhat.
However, the Pompey boss said if anyone deserves it, it’s Devlin given the committment and hard work he puts in on and off the pitch.
Mousinho praise for Devlin
Describing him as a true role-model for any footballer, Mousinho said: ‘He's a really good example for the lads of what you can do in football and how you can transform yourself from a player that we were always confident on to come in and affect League One with Championship attributes.
‘But if you'd asked me when we signed Terry two-and-a-half years ago whether he'd be at the stage he is now, I don't think I would have seen that.
‘Even at the start of the year he wasn't in the side. He bided his time, he's made sure that he keeps his head down and as soon as he's had his chance in the side he's taken it.
‘The only reason he's been able to do that is all the work that he puts in on the training pitch and off the training pitch as well.
‘He's turned himself into a proper athlete and he lives right, he's very, very hungry for success and if anybody deserves it it's Terry.’
Devlin: I absolutely love it here.
Devlin’s recent form as seen him linked with a move away from Fratton Park.
But speaking to The News this week, the Cookstown-born ace shrugged off the interest Wrexham showed in him last month and admitted he loved it at Pompey.
He said: There's nothing I can really do about that (the links), there are people in place to deal with that, it’s nothing to do with me really.
‘My full focus is on Pompey and finishing the season strongly. You obviously see things (about transfer links), but my full focus is on Pompey.
‘I am contracted here, so all I can say at the minute is I’m a Pompey player. I absolutely love it here, I love the team, I love the lads, the coaching staff, the fans, the club.
‘I love everything about being here. That shows with my performances, I love battling for the badge - and I think the fans can see that.’