Cammy Devlin reveals who at Hearts made him a better player - with reference to an Italian superstar

Three years in Scotland have seen the Australian midfielder develop

Extending his Hearts contract until 2026 gives Cammy Devlin security for the next two years. Commitment is something the Australian feels he owes the Edinburgh club having developed under their tutelage. He was signed from Newcastle Jets in summer 2021 as an orthodox defensive midfielder and has since grown into a more dynamic, rounded footballer.

“I feel like I've come a long way as a player,” says Devlin. “In terms of my game as a whole, I was more one-dimensional in terms of I was a defensive midfielder and I kind of sat. That's what I was doing in the A-League and that was my role, which I enjoyed and I feel like is a massive strength of mine.

“To become a better player and warrant a new deal at a massive football club, you've got to be more than one thing. I feel like I've still got a massive way to go. I'm obviously not the young player that I was when I first signed, but you can always improve. You always want to take your game to the next level.

“I feel like you guys watching me play every week, you know the kind of person I am and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I go out onto the training pitch every single day to make myself a better player and make the team a better team. I feel like the environment that we have is really special, but you just want to take that special environment onto the pitch and give back to the people that come and watch us play. All the hard work that you put in every single day, you want to make it count. I think we have in previous years and now it's time to do it this season.”

The person Devlin credits with enhancing and improving his game the most is the Hearts head coach, Steven Naismith. Time on the training pitch has been devoted to encouraging Devlin to use his seemingly-limitless energy to venture further forward. Consequently, he can now operate more like a traditional No.8 as well as in the No.6 role. Asked how much Naismith has done to help, the player is typically enthusiastic. “A lot, to be honest. I feel like I can’t speak highly enough of him,” says Devlin.

“Firstly, as a man, and his staff, Gordie [Forrest] and Frankie [McAvoy] as well. And then as a manager, I think watching it, you can see my game going forward from just that boy that would just sit there and win the ball back, keep the play ticking over. You always want to be someone that can play that position or this position and be versatile. Now I feel like I am. I can play higher up in the pitch and create up there and stuff.

“I still want to score goals and get more assists, of course. There’s no denying that and it’s something that I’ve never done in my career, so it doesn’t just happen overnight. You work on it. I’m trying really hard to make that happen and be that versatile player that can be trusted as a six, as an eight, as a 10, because you want to be that player that the manager can count on.

“A lot of credit goes to him. We’ve had so many chats on the pitch, in his office, watched so many clips and I really appreciate it. That’s some of the reason why I feel that respect to stay because he’s put so much time and effort into me and believes in me. That’s something I really appreciate.

“I’ve got to take some responsibility myself. I love watching football. I’m always watching football at home. My missus hates it, but I absolutely love just watching it and that’s how you get better. You watch the players that you want to get to the same heights. We’re fortunate enough to be in the national team set-up where you’re playing opposition at the World Cup, where you get to see them live.

“I watch clips of myself and watch games back with the staff most weeks, looking at things obviously I did well, but also the things like: ‘What could you have done here? That’s how you improve. You watch your own game back. You watch the [English] Premier League and things like that and players in different positions. But, if you’re watching your own clips back from previous games, then I feel that’s a big thing for how I want to improve.”

Specific players who play in his position command a lot of Devlin’s screen time in front of the TV. Steven Gerrard was his idol whilst growing up in Australia, although there is also a particularly stylish Italian midfielder he likes to watch. “My favourite player of all time, and he’s actually the reason that I started playing football, is Steven Gerrard. I’m nowhere near as good as he ever was. But, in terms of the way he played as a defensive player, I feel like the way he breaks up play and keeps the play ticking, he’s got that forward play that I want to get so much better at.

“He was scoring so many goals and creating so many chances. The defensive side of his game is something that I have prided myself on my whole career and I absolutely love watching him. And another player, he’s playing in Qatar now, but Marco Verratti was a player that I absolutely loved watching for Italy and PSG. Just the way he played the game as a midfielder, I absolutely loved. And, like I said, I’m not quite anywhere near as good as him, but I just love the way he plays the game and he’s small as well.”