Jacob Devaney passes the toughest test of his career with flying colours, Ruben Amorim will be impressed

Manchester United youngster Jacob Devaney was playing for the Republic of Ireland at U21 level on Friday against England, passing this challenge with flying colours.

Jacob Devaney wears the captain’s armband for Manchester United at a U21 level, which is quite high up in the youth football world.

However, on Friday, the versatile midfielder found himself in the starting line-up for the Republic of Ireland U21, taking on England, which saw Lee Carsley field a midfield of Ethan Nwaneri, Jobe Bellingham, and Lewis Miley.

Devaney has been heralded as United’s best young midfielder, but against England U21, he was taking on a new level of opposition, and he passed with flying colours.

Jacob Devaney shines for Ireland against England U21

Devaney has had an excellent campaign for United at U21 level this season, going from strength to strength in midfield. As a result, Devaney has caught the eye of Premier League clubs for his performance.

Well, against England U21, Devaney will have earned even more admirers as he was Ireland’s sole standout in a 2-0 loss, playing really well against opposition who have a lot of senior experience.

Devaney looked the part while competing against players who are already regular first-teamers, and in Jobe Bellingham, a player whom Borussia Dortmund spent big to sign.

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This season has been Devaney’s best yet for United, kicking on with some excellent performances which have come against professional teams.

But this was a whole new challenge, and he passed with ease.

Reacting to Devaney’s performance, his father and Port Vale coach Martin Devaney tweeted to highlight how impressive this feat was.

“Prem regulars and the boy just showed again he’s a top player at 18. Great performance from the team.”

Devaney was joined by Jack Moorhouse in the Ireland squad, with the loanee, who is at Leyton Orient, on the bench.

Jacob Devaney has a big six months at Manchester United

Devaney has impressed during the biggest challenge of his career thus far, and it is an even bigger indicator that the next six months will be vital for his career.

This season, Devaney has had some impressive moments for United, most notably his brilliant goal against Notts County.

However, this latest performance highlights that he is ready to play against better opposition every week than academy footballers.

Devaney has been considered for a loan by the club in January, and this is a move that could be absolutely vital for the development.

The Irishman won’t learn anything in the academy now, he needs to be challenged and so a move until July in the Championship or League One for plenty of minutes would be perfect.

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