At 22 years old, Justin Devenny has already won three major trophies in 12 months—and he's not about to waste them with a beach holiday. The Crystal Palace left wing-back's remarkable run includes the UEFA Conference League, the FA Cup, and the Community Shield, where he scored the winning penalty against Liverpool. But while most players would be booking flights after such a haul, Devenny chose to report for international duty with Northern Ireland instead, facing friendlies against Guinea and World Cup-bound France.
The decision speaks to something deeper than trophy ambition. Devenny, a Northern Ireland international since 2024, has tasted what it means to compete at the highest level—and he's hungry for more. "All I want to do is play football, especially when I've not been playing as much," he explained. "Any opportunity to get games is great for me and I just want to keep playing and keep building." That hunger matters, because last season at Palace he found his playing time uneven, featuring heavily in the first half before seeing his minutes limited as the campaign wore on.
The European triumph under manager Oliver Glasner was remarkable enough. "It was a great experience to win a major trophy," Devenny reflected. "I thought the boys were great and thought we fully deserved it throughout the full competition." But Glasner has since departed, and the club will now chart a new course under incoming leadership, likely to be RC Lens manager Pierre Safé. For a young player trying to cement his place, the transition creates both uncertainty and opportunity.
At the international level, at least, continuity reigns. Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill recently extended his contract through 2032, a decision Devenny called "delighted" about. The stability matters: "You need to be happy, you need to be confident, you need to be playing with freedom and the gaffer allows us to do that." O'Neill's return to full-time focus after splitting duties with Blackburn Rovers reinforces that commitment.
Yet the road has not been without heartbreak. Northern Ireland missed World Cup qualification after losing to Italy in their play-off semi-final, a loss that stung a squad that has fielded some of the youngest starting lineups on record. Devenny won't dwell on it, though the disappointment fuels him. "You can't dwell on it. You think, 'oh, that could be us', but again, it's done and what's in the past is in the past," he said. "Everyone's excited for what's to come ahead. There's plenty of tournaments coming up for us and we'll just have to look ahead and use that as motivation."
The upcoming friendlies offer a glimpse of the caliber Northern Ireland is building toward. Playing France—"probably the best team in the world," in Devenny's assessment—provides exactly the kind of testing ground a young player needs. "Throughout your career you want to challenge yourself against the best players and it'll be good to see yourself in and amongst that environment, just to get a feeling of being at the absolute top of the game." Within two years, Northern Ireland will have faced Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain again—an extraordinary slate of elite opposition.
Back at Palace, Devenny sees a fresh start. "It's almost a fresh start for everyone when we get back and with a fresh start, it brings opportunities for me to hopefully go and express myself." His ambition is clear: arrive at pre-season training with purpose, work relentlessly, and be ready when the new manager needs him. For now, though, he remains exactly where he wants to be—on the pitch, competing against the world's best.