Aussie Devlin relishing McInnes reunion at Rangers
Australia international Cammy Devlin says the opportunity to reunite with former Hearts boss Derek McInnes at Rangers was something he could not afford to turn down.
Devlin joined Rangers on a two-year deal earlier this month after the expiration of his contract with Hearts, ending a five-year stint at Tynecastle.
The 28-year-old, who was part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Socceroos squad, is one of three significant arrivals at Rangers from Hearts, following in the footsteps of McInnes as well as experienced striker Lawrence Shankland.
"Everyone knows the relationship I have with the gaffer where we are super close. He was good for me at Hearts and everyone knows the season we had there," Devlin said.
"He helped me so much as a player.
"I was not trying to focus on it too much and just enjoy the World Cup, but when the opportunity came, it was one that was too good to pass up."
Devlin made 176 appearances for Hearts across all competitions and registered 18 goal contributions – eight goals and 10 assists – during that time.
But it was in the 2025-2026 season that Devlin truly flourished under McInnes, as Hearts missed out on a first Scottish Premiership title since 1960 after a dramatic final-day defeat to eventual champion Celtic.
No player made more tackles than Devlin's 69 in the Scottish Premiership last season, while his 226 duels won ranked as the fourth-highest in the division.
Devlin had been weighing up whether to sign a new contract with Hearts after going so close to winning the title, but he delayed his decision because of his Socceroos duties at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He was named in Australia's 26-man squad for the tournament, but did not play a single minute before his nation was knocked out in the Round of 32 by Egypt.
A week after Australia's elimination, Hearts put out a statement revealing that Devlin had missed the deadline to take up the offer of a new deal, thus paving the way to seal his switch to Rangers.
"The [Celtic] game was on the Saturday and I flew out to the [FIFA] World Cup on the Tuesday," Devlin added. "It was devastating.
"But I didn't have much time to reflect on how last season ended and then straight into the [FIFA] World Cup, which is one of the most special moments of your career.
"My mum, my dad and my girlfriend were over in America supporting me. So you try to enjoy that as much as you can.
"I thought it would be a good idea to go there off-contract, but it wasn't. 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."
Devlin came off the bench for Rangers in its 2-1 pre-season win over Saint-Etienne, with Lawrence Shankland and Thelo Aasgaard scoring the goals for the Light Blues from the penalty spot to give McInnes victory in his first match in the Ibrox dugout.
