Cammy Devlin, the 28-year-old Australian midfielder, has revealed the significant stress he experienced over his club future while representing his country at the World Cup. Devlin, who recently joined Rangers, admitted that heading into such a major tournament without a settled contract proved to be a considerable burden, despite initially believing it would be a good idea.
Devlin's contract with Heart of Midlothian was nearing its conclusion as he linked up with the Australia squad. This followed a devastating end to the Scottish Premiership season for Hearts, who were pipped to the title by Celtic on the final day. The midfielder had just three days to process the league disappointment before flying out to the World Cup, a period he described as an emotional rollercoaster.
The uncertainty surrounding his club future was compounded by rival interest while he considered a new deal from the Edinburgh club. However, the situation ultimately resolved itself when former Hearts manager Derek McInnes made the switch to become Rangers boss. McInnes, with whom Devlin shares a close relationship, then moved from trying to retain Devlin at Tynecastle to actively recruiting him for Ibrox.
Reflecting on the period, Devlin confessed, "It was too stressful. It was hard just being in the moment being at the World Cup and dealing with all that and the noise around it, and my dad asking me every day what's going on." Despite the personal challenges, Devlin described the opportunity to join Rangers as "one that was too good to pass up," acknowledging the immense scale and history of the Glasgow club.
Devlin expressed his gratitude to Hearts, calling them a "special football club" that gave him his opportunity to play outside Australia. While it was a difficult decision to leave, the allure of Rangers, a club he never thought he would play for, ultimately proved irresistible. He now hopes to build on his previous season's performance and achieve even greater success with his new team, particularly after the title heartache experienced with Hearts.