A big club will take the Mikey
Canning hails Accies captain
HAMILTON boss Martin Canning reckons Accies defender Mikey Devlin could be the next one to shoot for the stars as long as he keeps his feet firmly on the ground.
Canning insists the product of the Accies youth academy, who has amassed 137 appearances in six years, has what it takes to follow the likes of James McCarthy and James McArthur into the big time.
The 23-year-old was outstanding during the shock 1-0 Premiership win over Derek McInnes’s highflying Aberdeen on Tuesday night in Lanarkshire.
Devlin scored as Accies leapt off the bottom and surged up to ninth spot in the table.
Canning admits the only surprise to him is that Devlin is not raved about in glowing terms more often.
He said: “Mikey does so well for us but he never seems to get talked about.
“He is such a quiet, humble guy and does not seek the publicity which is a credit to him. He’s a great professional.
“The one thing we have always done here is give young players a chance.
“If they go and do well enough and they move on then everybody here gets a buzz out of that.
“We take pride in the fact we bring players through our academy and can move them on to a higher level if they deserve it.
“Mikey has a long way to go but if he can continue to replicate his form that he showed against Aberdeen then there is no doubt he can play at a higher level.
“He is still only a young guy and is the captain of a Premiership club.
“We understand and appreciate the value that he brings to us.
“The important thing for Mikey is that it is nice to get plaudits but it can all change quickly and before too long people start saying that it has all gone to his head.
“Mikey just has to stay focused. He is a very levelheaded guy and won’t be affected by any praise that comes his way.
“It is one game out of 40-plus matches that he will play this season.
“Mikey just has to make sure he replicates that form every week in order to take his career to where he wants it to go.”