Man Utd Loanee Deserves First-Team Role After Impressive Move

Manchester United are prioritising their midfield this summer, having already lost Casemiro and being expected to part ways with Manuel Ugarte, who has struggled for much of his Old Trafford career. 

Atalanta midfielder Ederson seems likely to take up one of the spots. It has been reported that United have already agreed personal terms with the 26-year-old, ahead of a move worth just under £40 million. With wages supposedly just £75,000 per week, that represents a good deal for United. 

However, Director of Football Jason Wilcox will know that he needs to give Michael Carrick more than just Ederson this summer if he wants United to capitalise on the chance the Premier League has offered. 

Arsenal have won the title, but looked less than convincing all season, while Manchester City have just parted ways with Pep Guardiola for Enzo Maresca. Liverpool look unstable, too. There is a chance for United to compete for the Premier League next season, but their summer transfer business must be up to scratch. 

Elliot Anderson and Aurélien Tchouaméni have been mentioned as high-profile options to start for Manchester United next season, although both deals seem complicated. Manchester City seems the favourite to sign Anderson, in a deal which could cost over £100 million, while Tchouaméni will have to be convinced to leave Real Madrid. 

Alongside this, United are also eyeing West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker has been relegated with The Hammers, and could be available for a lower fee because of it. Roundtable understands that Michael Carrick loves Fernandes and would welcome him at Old Trafford - a crucial factor given he has a say in transfers this summer, unlike Rúben Amorim. 

Should those deals happen, Carrick will have a midfield of Kobbie Mainoo and three new signings to choose from, but is that enough going into a Champions League season? 

Michael Carrick has already shown he is more than willing to trust the academy system for his wider squad. Tyler Fletcher made his debut under the former midfielder, while Jack Fletcher has played, too. Shea Lacey came off the bench against Brighton and looked steady in his 30-minute cameo. Carrick understands how to trust the youth setup. 

Perhaps then, Carrick should be trusted to manage the game time of a fifth-choice midfielder next season - one who comes from the academy. This player would not be a regular in the Premier League, but would play a key role in the squad throughout the course of the season. Maybe playing 30 games in total, including appearances from the bench. And this player should be Jacob Devaney. 

Devaney spent the first six months of last season with Travis Binnion's under-21s side, playing in a variety of roles, such as: central midfield, right-back, and centre-back. He wore the armband and led the side, no matter his position on the pitch. 

In the second half of the campaign, Devaney joined St.Mirren in the Scottish top flight, taking to men's football like a duck to water. The 18-year-old's first game for St.Mirren was against league leaders Hearts. Not only did he start, but Devaney anchored the midfield and helped push his side to a 1-0 win. 

He continued to impress until the very end, when St.Mirren won a qualification game against Partick Thistle to remain in the top flight for next season, leading some to think about his involvement for United next season. 

"Those games in pre-season would definitely be something I would like to take part in," Devaney told BBC Sport towards the end of the season. "I feel I'm at a stage now where I do want to keep playing men's football because I feel I've proved I can do it.

"I believe that I can play for Man United. It's something I've worked at from being knee-high, when I first started kicking a ball."

Devaney also spoke about his willingness to play in multiple positions, as he did for the Under-21s. "I see myself as a leader," he said. "If you put me anywhere on the pitch, I'd like to think I'd go and do a job.

"Coming into United as an under-nine, you play a bit of everywhere; centre-back, right-back, centre-midfield in my case.

"It's the way we are brought up, so we can all play in different positions."

Devaney clearly has quality. You have to be a good footballer - and a good character - to impress in top-flight football at just 18 years old. So, having him as an option for Michael Carrick would not be a bad thing by any means, but is that the right thing for him? 

As the fifth-choice option - providing United do sign a high-profile defensive midfielder, Ederson, and Fernandes - would leave Devaney with a lack of game time to start the season. In fact, he may even begin the campaign with the Under-21s side to keep himself sharp and fully match-fit. 

With games coming thick and fast next season, it would not be long for an underperformance from someone else, or an injury, handing Devaney a chance to be on the bench, if not in the starting lineup. While he may find it daunting to play in front of the Old Trafford crowd, he has been dreaming of that day for a long time. 

"Playing in front of 60,000 is not something I had done before, but that was another thing that attracted me to this league," Devaney continued with BBC Sport. "Once you get the first minute out the way and you've taken it all in, you blank it out. I've said that to my family, although they don't quite understand how you can do that.

"For the level I want to go and play at, playing in front of crowds like that is obviously going to help." 

His character and personality is the right fit for a squad player, and he has the potential to be much more than that. But if he wants to be playing every week that would have to be somewhere else. 

The decision could be taken out of his hands and United may loan him to a Championship side after having so much success with Radek Vitek's loan in the season just gone. 

Unfortunately, Devaney will have to play the waiting game. But it just might pay off.