Devenny: It's now about what comes next - News

Coming quickly off the back of Saturday’s win over Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Eagles kick-off a busy, but potentially glorious, two-month end to the Premier League season at St. Mary’s Stadium on Wednesday evening (19:45 BST).

Coming up against a Southampton side with just two Premier League wins so far this season, Devenny says that the mentality of Palace’s group will see them match their opponents for desire, fuelled by their hunger for victory in every contest.

“For us, as I said, it's that desire to win every game,” Devenny explained.

“But no game is easy – it's the Premier League, it's probably the best in the world. No matter who you're coming up against, it's going to be tough, and it's going to be a hard ask.

“That's when we need to focus on our game plan and our gameplay. Hopefully that will speak for itself, because we've been doing it well recently – so it's just continuing that on.

“To be fair, I think as a group, we're always positive. I feel like no matter who we come up against, we always believe that we can win the game.

“That in itself is such a good mindset to have, because we believe in ourselves. No matter who we play against, we can always win.”

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Mindset has been crucial to 21-year-old Devenny’s growth thus far this season.

Having made his senior and Premier League debut for Palace back in November, the young midfielder has now recorded 19 appearances for the club in all competitions, as well as his Northern Ireland debut and – last month – his first senior start for his country.

“Yeah, it's been amazing,” Devenny smiled. “It's been great for me.

“All I could ask, I wanted when I was growing up, was to play in the best leagues and play at the highest level possible. To do that at international and club level is a special moment. It's been amazing for me and my family.

“[In the Premier League I’ve learned] the intensity. Every team you come up against, the players are brilliant. I think it's just the intensity of playing it.

“Coping at that level, that's when the confidence comes in, because you believe that this is where you should be and this is where I want to be. It has been hard at times, but for me, it's got to be just doing what I can every single game to show why I deserve to be here.

“Always be ready for when you’re called upon because you never know when your moment will happen – especially after seeing how quickly my moment came!

“It's just staying ready and always training at your best level and giving yourself that opportunity to show what you can do.

“For me, ‘what's next?’. It's never crossed my mind that that's it, that’s done – it’s now, ‘what's next?’

“I think you can tell that's not just me, that's the full squad. We've done well – it was a bit of a slow start to the season, but we've done well to get to where we are – and I can tell you, we're not done. We're ready.”