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.jpg) Devlin lining up forScotland in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael James Devlin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1993-10-03)3 October 1993 (age 32)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Motherwell, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ayr United | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Heart of Midlothian | |||
| 2007–2009 | Aberdeen | ||
| 2009–2010 | Celtic | ||
| 2010–2011 | Hamilton Academical | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2018 | Hamilton Academical | 125 | (4) |
| 2011 | →Stenhousemuir (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2012 | →Stenhousemuir (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2018–2022 | Aberdeen | 37 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Fleetwood Town | 2 | (0) |
| 2023 | Hibernian | 1 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Livingston | 29 | (0) |
| 2024– | Ayr United | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:46, 16 November 2019 (UTC) | |||
Michael James Devlin (born 3 October 1993) is a Scottish professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forAyr United. He has previously played forHamilton Academical,Stenhousemuir,Aberdeen,Fleetwood Town,Hibernian andLivingston. He was selected forScotland three times in 2019.
Born inMotherwell,[3] Devlin grew up in a street near to fellow footballerMark Reynolds and attended the same school, where the older pupil was held up as an example to follow.[4] As a teenager Devlin spent time in theyouth systems ofHeart of Midlothian,Aberdeen andCeltic,[4] making the squad for aGlasgow Cup final with the latter in May 2010.[5]
He was picked up byHamilton Academical, with assurances that hard work would result in a swift path to first team football.[4] He made his senior debut for Hamilton in theScottish Premier League on 15 January 2011, aged 16,[6] in a 0–4 defeat away atRangers;[7] the performance of Devlin and other young players in that match, includingLee Kilday who also made his debut, was praised by managerBilly Reid.[8]
He signed on loan forStenhousemuir on 16 March 2011,[9] and re-joined theWarriors on an emergency loan in February 2012,[10] at the same time signing a two-year contract extension with Hamilton.[11]
He scored his first goal for theAccies in theScottish Cup in December 2012.[12] In February 2014, he signed a contract extension until the end of the 2014–15 season.[13]
In August 2016 he was appointed the club's new captain.[14] In May 2017, he was involved in an altercation with a fan following a 1–0 homeLanarkshire derby defeat to relegation rivalsMotherwell.[15] In the last regular game of the 2016–17 season, Devlin suffered a serious knee injury, meaning he missed the club's two relegation play-off matches.[16]
Devlin moved toAberdeen in January 2018 for an undisclosed fee, despite having not yet fully recovered from the knee injury suffered in May 2017.[17][6] He eventually made his competitive debut for Aberdeen on 26 July 2018, in the first leg of aEuropa League tie againstBurnley atPittodrie Stadium.[18][19]
In August 2020 he was one of eight Aberdeen players who received a suspended three-match ban from theScottish FA after they breachedcoronavirus-related restrictions by visiting a bar earlier in the month.[20] He missed most of the 2020–21 season due to hamstring and ankle ligament injuries,[21] and agreed new short-term contracts during 2021–22 with it being anticipated that he would eventually return to full fitness,[22] but by April 2022 he had yet to be named in a matchday squad, and it was initially announced that he would leave Aberdeen at the end of the season[23] but soon clarified that this would be immediate.[24][25]
Devlin trained with English clubFleetwood Town, managed by his former Aberdeen teammateScott Brown, in June 2022.[26] He signed a short-term contract with Fleetwood in August 2022.[27] He departed the club in January following the expiration of his short-term deal.[28]
After leaving Fleetwood before the end of the January transfer window, Devlin trained withHibernian.[29] He signed a short-term contract with the club on 13 February 2023.[30]
Devlin left Hibs at the end of the 2022–23 season and signed forLivingston.[31][32] He was appointed club captain.[33]
After leaving Livingston at the end of the 2023–24 season, he signed forAyr United in July 2024.[34][35]
Devlin was included in theScotland squad for the first time in October 2018.[36] He was recalled in May 2019, one of five uncapped players to feature.[37] He made his international debut on 10 October 2019 in aEuro 2020 qualifier againstRussia, playing the whole match as Scotland lost 0–4.[38]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hamilton Academical | 2010–11[7] | Scottish Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[39] | Scottish First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[40] | Scottish First Division | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 2013–14[41] | Scottish Championship | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2014–15[42] | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[43] | Scottish Premiership | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[44] | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| 2017–18[45] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 125 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 148 | 5 | ||
| Stenhousemuir (loan) | 2010–11[7] | Scottish Second Division | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| 2011–12[39] | Scottish Second Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 3 | ||
| Aberdeen | 2017–18[45] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19[18] | Scottish Premiership | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2019–20[46] | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[47] | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[48] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 1 | ||
| Fleetwood Town | 2022–23[49] | EFL League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Hibernian | 2022–23[49] | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Livingston | 2023–24[50] | Scottish Premiership | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Career total | 217 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 262 | 9 | ||