When Wigan Athletic youngster Alfie Devine signed a long-term deal at the Lancashire club in June, academy manager Greg Rioch was fulsome in his praise for the teenager.
He had committed his future to Wigan, with Rioch stating : “Alfie is one of the best players I have worked with; he has a mature head on young shoulders.”
Two months later and Devine was a Tottenham Hotspur player, thanks to Wigan entering administration and in desperate need of cash.
Devine, who celebrated his 16th birthday on August 1, cost Spurs £300,000 and has already appeared for Jose Mourinho’s first-team during pre-season.
He was just 15 when he starred for Wigan Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup last season, starting the quarter-final tie with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Along the way, he had helped Wigan beat their Tottenham counterparts – with his performance being noted by the North London club’s academy chiefs.
He was also called up to train with both Wigan’s Under-23s and first team, as well.
Warrington-born Devine, a box-to-box midfielder, also represented England at Under-16 level, winning player of the tournament at the AGS Cup last December.
It is no surprise then that The Guardian has named him one of its best 20 talents at Premier League clubs.
The outlet picked the best young players at each club born between September 1, 2003 and August 31, 2004, an age band known as first-year scholars.
And Devine, who was released by Liverpool when he was 11, was its pick for Tottenham.
Used, so far, as a defensive midfielder in Tottenham’s Under-18s, he has already drawn comparisons to current first-team player Harry Winks, and Oliver Skipp, the youth academy graduate who is currently on loan at Championship side Norwich City.
Devine – whose father is former St Helens rugby league ace Sean Devine – takes risks on the ball and possesses outstanding vision.
He started his career at Liverpool’s academy as a centre-forward, before dropping back into the centre of the park.
Versatile, talented and driven – it should only be a matter of time before Devine starts to progress through the ranks and becomes the latest midfield gem to grace Tottenham’s first team.
