Jacob Devaney has started his second professional loan spell with a stellar midfield performance for Hibernian. After Jacob Devaney excelled at St. Mirren last season ...
Jacob Devaney has started his second professional loan spell with a stellar midfield performance for Hibernian.
After Jacob Devaney excelled at St. Mirren last season on loan, a return to academy football for Manchester United was never on the cards this season, leading to another loan move.
Devaney has therefore joined Hibernian on loan for the 2026/27 campaign, following a successful pre-season for United in which he absolutely caught the eye.
Devaney is expected to return next summer, having penned a new contract prior to the loan, and will then be evaluated for a potential first-team role at United.
This weekend, he has had the perfect start to life at Hibernian, which will delight United.
Photo by Poppy Townson – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
Devaney was straight into the starting line-up for Hibernian in a 2-1 win against Dundee FC, and his performance means he won’t be dropping out anytime soon.
The 19-year-old was an immediate success for Hibs, settling in immediately, and he ran the show in midfield while looking a few levels above the others on the pitch.
Devaney’s importance for Hibs was felt on his debut because after his withdrawal in the 81st minute, Dundee pulled one back just a minute later.
The Irish youth international is off to a flyer, and if he has a full season of these kinds of performances, he will be in with an excellent shot of breaking into Michael Carrick’s first-team.
Either that or a Premier League loan seems inevitable if he continues to make the Scottish Premiership look easy, as he has done for both Hibs and St Mirren.
The quality of Devaney is undeniable, and when he returns to United next summer, there is going to be a clamour around him.
Carrick will be eager to look at how he potentially fits into the United squad, but if there isn’t a prospect of minutes, he is going to be in high demand.
Devaney had suitors across Europe this summer, and that will only increase if this season is as successful as it looks to be for the young midfielder.
He could quite easily be a £30m player next summer, not that United should sell, but it does demonstrate how good he is and why this season will create a star in Devaney.
We will be keeping a keen eye on his development over the course of the campaign.
