Pompey fans have been told injury hasn’t been stopping Terry Devlin from adding to his four international caps for Northern Ireland during the current international break

Michael O’Neill has provided some reassurance over Terry Devlin’s fitness.

It comes after the Pompey defender remained on the bench for Northern Ireland during their Nations League draw against Hungary at Windsor Park on Monday night - and after the reigning Blues player of the year experienced the same outcome for his country’s win over Georgia in Tbilisi on Friday.

The Fratton favourite has accumulated four international caps to date, with his last coming against Wales in March when he was named man of the match in Cardiff.

Since then, however, Devlin has suffered a hamstring injury which forced him to sit out Pompey’s last three games of the 2026-27 season and Northern Ireland’s Junes friendlies against Guinea and France.

The injury didn’t prevent the Dungannon-born ace from returning for pre-season training. Nor did it stop the 22-year-old from taking his number of Pompey appearances to 108 with starts in the Blues’ first seven matches of the current campaign.

Yet, Pompey head coach John Mousinho admitted the converted right-back was still feeling the effects of the injury in the build-up to the 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers immediately before the international break - a Championship fixture Devlin was benched for and failed to feature in.

Mousinho will be hoping the six first-teamers currently away with their respective countries will return fit and available to play when the Blues return to action against fierce-rivals Southampton on Sunday, October 11.

He’ll also be encouraged that injury concerns aren't preventing Devlin from getting game time when he’s away, with O’Neill admitting it’s nothing more than a selection issue.

To subscribe to The Portsmouth News’ Pompey coverage and more click here

Northern Ireland pecking order

With O’Neill often preferring to operate with a 3-5-2 system, he opted for Sunderland’s Denver Hume to play right full-back for the games against Georgia and Hungary - while Liverpool’s Conor Bradley continues to recover from a knee injury.

Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer has then been given the nod to provide fresh legs from the bench in those two fixtures, leaving Devlin to watch on from the bench.

The Pompey defender is one of just three outfield players named in both match-day squads not to get a run-out during this ongoing international window which will see the Ulstermen play four games in 11 gruelling days.

That could still change with Northern Ireland still to play Ukraine on Friday and Georgia for a second time on Monday.

However, explaining his decision not to freshen up his starting XI for the game against Hungary bar one enforced change, O’Neill also revealed injury wasn’t preventing Devlin from being involved.

‘Our squad’s young and I don’t want to put too many young players on the pitch in a game where they’re untried, they’re untested at that level,’ said O’Neill.

‘It’s a very physical game and we want to bring the younger players in to give them the best chance to be able to do well and build their confidence and to build their reputation.

‘That’s challenging for us at this minute in time. We have more experience in our options and substitutions in our back-line – we could have brought in Terry Devlin, we could have brought Paddy McNair in.

‘When we look at the top end of the pitch, we’re looking at much younger players – Kieran Morrison, Ceadach O’Neill, Braiden Graham – so we don’t have the same options in terms of what we can do at the top end of the pitch.’

For your next Pompey read: ‘Future Ballon d’Or winner’: Portsmouth sensation shines on latest landmark for Chelsea rising star