Dungannon Swifts teenager Terry Devlin says facing the best young players in France has motivated him to take his own game to the next level.
Devlin, still only 18, made his Northern Ireland U21 debut in a 5-0 defeat to France U21s in Calais during the recent international window.
And despite the heavy defeat, the talented midfielder viewed it as an invaluable experience against some of France’s top young talent.
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Included in Les Blues’ ranks were Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, AC Milan defender Pierre Kalulu and Nice striker Amine Gouiri who joined the Ligue 1 club from Lyon for £6m in 2020.
“It was tough, but it was just an amazing experience,” said Devlin who made his league debut for Dungannon as a 16-year-old in December 2019.
“I’ve watched them a couple of times on TV and they’re just top players. It was hard, but it was a great learning curve. That’s what your aim is - to be as good as them.
“The whole week, I was just happy to be there and learn from the best players. I wasn’t expecting to get on or get any minutes.
“When I got told I was coming on at half-time, I was buzzing. I was a wee bit nervous as well, but once I got into it, I was fine.”
Devlin, who has been capped at U19 level with Northern Ireland, was surprised to be added to John Schofield’s U21 panel for the recent international window.
He told Dungannon Swifts FC's official YouTube channel: “I was shocked when I got the email or text because obviously I’m very young.
“It was a wee bit of reward for my hard work when I missed out on the 19s, breaking my foot the day before. I was very happy to get the call-up.
“It was a great experience playing with all the best players at my age in Northern Ireland and playing against some of the best players in the world.”
Devlin also enjoyed meeting up with former teammate Oisin Smyth who left Dungannon for League One Oxford United in the January transfer window.
“I haven’t seen him in a month or two so it was good to have a chat with him,” he said. “He helped me and looked after me during the week and introduced me to all the boys.”
A number of Irish League players featured against the French - Devlin, Kofi Balmer (Larne), John McGovern (Newry City) and Chris McKee, who is currently on loan at Linfield from Rangers.
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