Hearts midfielder Cameron Devlin ‘buzzing’ to be back in the Socceroos squad

A strong finish to the Scottish Premiership season has helped Cameron Devlin be recalled to the Socceroos squad.

Cameron Devlin is happy to be back in the Socceroos squad. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The “healthy competition” for spots in the Socceroos midfield has Cameron Devlin desperate to make an impression in his return to the national set-up.

A member of Australia’s 2022 World Cup squad, Devlin has been on the outer for several months at Socceroos level, with injuries and the depth national coach Graham Arnold can call on to fill places in his engine room not having helped the Hearts star’s cause.

However, having finished the Scottish Premiership season strongly, Devlin was selected in the 25-player contingent for Australia’s World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine.

“Not being in camp and watching the boys is never nice,” he said.

“You want to be a part of it, and I’d been part of it for a little while, going to the World Cup and things like that.

“It makes you that little bit more hungry to be involved and to be playing.

“To be back is unreal. I’m buzzing to be here.”

Cameron Devlin is ’hungry’ for game time with the Socceroos. Picture: Shaun Botterill – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Devlin, who turns 26 on Friday, understood Arnold’s decision to overlook him for previous squads, as much as it hurt.

“He wanted to have a look at some other boys, which is fair enough because there’s so much talent out there and all over the world that he might not have seen in person,” Devlin said.

“He knows what I’m like. You’ve got to respect that decision, (but) I was obviously so disappointed to not be selected because it’s the pinnacle, it’s where you want to be.

“He just told me to work on a few things and just keep going.

“He knows the sort of character I am and that I pride myself on my hard work and back myself to get back in.”

Such determination means friendship is put to one side in the battle for places in Australia’s midfield with the likes Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe, the St. Pauli teammates who will next season be playing in Germany’s Bundesliga.

“With (Irvine) and (Metcalfe) just being promoted to the Bundesliga, it’s so good to see,” Devlin said.

“They’re your competitors in some ways, but at the same time they’re your mates and we’re all Aussie boys that are just trying to do the same thing and live the dream.

“We’re all competing for the same kind of spots. It’s healthy competition, and with a country like Australia and the footballing country that we want to be, that’s how it should be.

“You’ve got to always remember what an honour it is to be representing your country.

“You’ve always got to impress and there’s always someone banging on the door to take your spot, whether you’ve been playing or you haven’t been.”