His Brisbane Roar teammate and captain, Craig Moore, was a key member of the 1993 side that went all the way to the semi-finals on home soil.

It was the first time Australian football fans had the pleasure of watching then Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) member Moore, who's gone on to serve Australia outstandingly for 16 years - and counting.

Moore played 21 games for the Young Socceroos; a mixture of qualifiers, friendlies as well as his four appearances at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which held him in good stead for the future.

He made his Socceroos debut just over two years later, against Ghana in Adelaide, and has gone on to make on to make 43 appearances (scoring 3 goals), with that number possibly set to grow with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa coming up.

DeVere hopes that this tournament will provide him a similar springboard, and revealed that Moore gave him some timely advice prior to departing for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.

"He spoke to me briefly about the Under 20 World Cup and mentioned a few of his experiences.  He said it was a great time for him being a young player and a great platform to try and launch yourself from,'' said DeVere, ahead of theYoung Socceroos opening match against Czech Republic on 27 September.

"He told me about some of the games they played and how exciting it was to reach the semi finals.

"In terms of Australian players, you couldn't ask for a better mentor I suppose. The experience I've gained from him has been invaluable to me as a player and how I progress from here.''

DeVere has described Moore as the biggest influence on his short career, but hopes to emulate his 33-year-old teammate who played for Rangers, Crystal Palace, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Newcastle United before returning home.

"If he feels he can give some advice to me he'll let me know.  If I think I need some advice I'll ask him and pick his brains for his take on things,'' DeVere said.

"And watching him you pick up a lot of things you wouldn't pick up playing with anyone else I suppose.

"He's well and truly been the most influential person I've worked with," DeVere said.     

"I've improved a fair bit in the last two years. I'm bigger and stronger but in terms of my technical ability, it's come a long way and hopefully it will continue to develop a lot more.

"Playing in the  Hyundai A-League, training with the Qantas Young Socceroos and learning from Craig (Moore) and the senior boys have all helped me.''

All Qantas Young Socceroos matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be broadcast live and exclusive on SBS TV