ST JOHNSTONE defender Reece Devine received plenty of praise from his manager Callum Davidson after his competitive debut at the weekend.

And the Manchester United loanee is now looking to kick on even further with a crunch European tie against Galatasaray on the horizon.

Saints missed out on all three points on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership season when they drew 0-0 against Ross County in Dingwall.

The Perth outfit had the better opportunities of the 90 minutes, and they also missed a penalty when Ali McCann sent his spotkick up and over the bar on 72 minutes.

Devine won the penalty and also went close with an effort of his own in the first half. But despite failing to take all three points, the 19-year-old was impressed with his team’s performance.

“On a personal note it’s great for me to make my senior debut,” he said. “It was disappointing that we didn’t finish off with a win but on a positive we’ve got a clean-sheet and a point to start the season.

“In the second half we had most of the possession, had the better chances and looked like the team that was likelier to win but sometimes that’s the way football goes. You don’t always get what you deserve. We’ll learn from it and move on.

 “Ali was brave to step up and take the penalty and this certainly won’t faze him.”

Formerly with Wolves and Manchester City, Devine has become a regular in the Manchester United Under 23s and he has also experienced European football in the UEFA Youth League.

Devine’s move to Perth is his first taste of first team football and he is looking forward to testing himself with Davidson’s double winners.

He continued: “It’s a step up to play first team men’s football. I’ll be looking to develop different sides to my game.

“It’s a lot more physical than reserve football. I had a few options but this was the one that was most attractive to me.

“I think I can improve my game and help the team. I’m getting fitter and stringer all the time and these 90 minutes will help that. I’ll definitely be looking to contribute going forward as well as in defence.”

Saints now fly out to Istanbul on Wednesday ahead of their first leg clash against Galatasaray in the Europa League and Devine can’t wait.

He added: “What an opportunity for us as a team and for me as an individual. We’ll all go there and be ourselves and show everybody what we are capable of.

“We haven’t really spoken about them much. We put all our focus into Ross County. Now we can start preparing for Thursday’s game. Obviously Galatasaray are a massive club with a huge fanbase.

“They’ll have a big crowd behind them and they’re a great footballing team. Falcao was obviously at Manchester United. He’s a great player with so much experience at the very highest level.

“And he’s not alone. Of course it will be a real challenge for the boys but it’s something we’ll relish.

“This is what football about – what more could you ask for.”