Provided he remains at the club.

Devlin has a year left on his contract and a release clause that could appeal to potential suitors. As long as he stays, he will be an important piece of McInnes’ puzzle, as evidenced by his performance in the weekend’s 3-0 victory over Sunderland.

“I’m absolutely delighted with him,” McInnes said. “He’s been first class. Even from my first conversation with Cammy while I was on vacation. “I’ve always admired him from a distance, and now that I’m his manager, I’m really enjoying working with him.

I believe he gives you a bit of everything. “He shouldn’t overthink his game too much. The game will come naturally to Cammy if he continues to focus on his work, and he has been in a different class.”

Devlin combined well with Oisin McEntee, giving Hearts plenty of aggression and intensity. It was the Irishman’s first extended run in the middle of the park, and he showed why McInnes wanted to add him to his midfield options.

“He’s a ball winner and keeps it simple,” he told me. “He’s forward-thinking and can play anywhere on the pitch.

You’ve seen every reason why we wanted Oisin on the team [in a game like Sunderland]. “We were a little light in there, with Calem [Nieuwenhof] getting hurt and Beni [Baningime] still not quite there.

“We tested him in one or two different positions. Sometimes in pre-season games, you don’t always get a chance to go and snap into tackles, turn the ball over, and show that aggression because we’ve had the majority of the ball.

“So, Sunderland was a good match. There are seven, eight, or nine games in our league where I can see Oisin being as effective as he was today.”

The starting line-up and shape are two hotly debated topics among Hearts fans between now and Monday night’s league opener against Aberdeen. McInnes changed both personnel and formation during the Premier Sports Cup group stage and friendlies.

The head coach, understandably, is keeping his cards close to his chest, citing the behind-closed-doors game on Wednesday as an opportunity for players to gain more game time. “I believe that when everyone puts their best foot forward, and there are many people willing to play, it is beneficial to a manager.

Obviously, I can only choose eleven. “I believe I could field a variety of XIs and be confident that we could compete and win, so I have an idea of how I want to play and some of the players within that, but we still have about six days.

“Training is important. We have a bounce game on Wednesday, a closed-door game, to try to make up minutes for others.

“There are still a few to determine who is ready for the games. If everyone is as fit as we expect, I’ll have to make some tough decisions. But I’d rather have that than look for a team that can win a game.”

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