Journalist Charlie Eccleshare has expressed his excitement over the potential of Tottenham Hotspur youngster Alfie Devine.
Already this summer, the 17-year-old has caught the eye having scored a ‘stunning goal’ for England’s U19s in their recent 2-0 Euros win over Austria.
It seems as though people within the Spurs set up are also impressed by the player’s development of late, if the latest whispers are to be believed.
Indeed, while talking on The Fighting Cock podcast, Eccleshare explained that Devine has impressed so much in first-team training he wasn’t included in Premier League match day squads last season just to make up the numbers, but because he was already trusted to make an impact if needed.
The journalist said (12:57): “I just think there is something about him. And that’s, you know, come from conversations with people who know a lot about this space.
“You know, [people] who’ve worked in youth development football for a long time who have seen him up close.
He then added (14:03): “He’s come into the first team, hasn’t been overawed by it. Had slotted right in you know, that’s the impression they’ve overseen in training.
“So he’s been training with first team, and he was on the bench for quite a few games at the end of last season – including the North London derby. And what I’ve been told is that that wasn’t in a kind of ‘making up the numbers’ kind of way. That was in a: ‘We trust this guy’.”
Will Alfie Devine make it as a first team player at Spurs?
Yes
No
TIF thoughts on Alfie Devine and Spurs…
Although he did not feature in the Premier League last term, Devine did make the bench on three occasions. One of those games happened to be the north London derby against Arsenal – which makes it all the more impressive that he wasn’t there to just make up the numbers.
Last season, he became the youngest ever player to feature for Tottenham, and then also managed to score on his debut – during an FA Cup win over Marine – and so it’s clear to see just how much talent he possesses.
After after this latest behind scenes snippet of information on Devine, it does seem as though he could soon get the chance to prove his quality in the senior side more regularly.