Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny
Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny
Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny has backed Crystal Palace teammate Eberechi Eze to be a major success at Arsenal.
England international Eze is expected to join the Gunners from the FA Cup winners this weekend for around £60m, after he rejected a move to north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Midfielder Devenny confessed that he will miss the 27 year-old who he considers a personal friend.
Devenny explained: “The fans love him and the players love him. He was such a great player for this club.
“He’s a great player but an even better person. He has been a great friend to me since I arrived here. He’s so good to have around the changing room and we’re all going to miss him.
“People say he can become a top player, but for me he’s already a top, top player.
“But we’re not about one player. As a squad we have more than enough quality in the dressing room to do well, even after a top player moves on.”
On Thursday night, Devenny played 69 minutes of Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Norwegian side Fredrikstad in the first leg of the Conference League Play-Off.
Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace
The Northern Ireland star was drafted into the starting line-up by manager Oliver Glasner once it became apparent Arsenal-bound Eze was not available for selection.
Reflection on his first game in European competition, Devenny said: “It was a good win and clean sheet to take into the second leg, so we’re happy about that.
“But we’ve still got another game to think about, with a game in between in the league. We’ve gave ourselves a lead going into the second leg which takes the pressure off, but when we are out there we will want to win.
“The fans were amazing. They always are, but this was a historic game for the club so the fans were really up for it.
“Personally, I try not think about the bigger picture and just treat it like any other game.
“We’re taking each European tie game-by-game, but in the back of our minds we believe that we are good enough to win this trophy. But we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”
The 21 year-old has been named in Michael O’Neill’s squad to face Luxembourg and Germany in next month’s World Cup qualifying double-header.