Why didn't it work out at Kilmarnock for Justin Devenny?

A little more than two years after being released he's scoring in the Premier League - is the midfielder the one who got away?

The stories of top footballers who were released in their youth then went on to scale the heights of the game are legion, and always make for a fascinating ‘what if?’.

Andy Robertson was released by Celtic as a youngster before conquering the world with Liverpool, Jamie Vardy dropped down to non-league football after being released by Sheffield Wednesday and Javier Zanetti was rejected by the Independiente academy at 16, only to go on and win 143 caps for Argentina.

Following his goal against Aston Villa on just his second start for Crystal Palace, many are wondering if the name of Justin Devenny will soon have to be added to that list, a mere two years after he left Killie’s youth setup.

Now a full Northern Ireland international, the 21-year-old has taken an odd route to the top flight of English football - but should the academy staff be kicking themselves?

Devenny had been involved in the Killie youth setup from the age of four, officially joining the academy at Under-11 level from AC Irvine.

He was part of an Under-18 side which reached the final of the Scottish Youth Cup in 2019-20, with the showpiece against Aberdeen never played due to the Covid pandemic.