‘We like him’ – Jose Mourinho reacts to player’s progress since joining Spurs

16-year-old Alfie Devine enjoyed a dream competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur yesterday, coming on in the second half against Marine FC in the FA Cup.

Even by playing a single minute, Devine had made Tottenham history by becoming the youngest-ever first-team player to feature in a competitive fixture (Tottenham).

However, Devine wasn’t satisfied by one record on the night, as he went on to score a debut goal with a brilliant near-post finish after cutting inside onto his right in the box.

Of course, this then also made the 16-year-old Tottenham’s youngest ever first-team goal-scorer, another slice of history for the teenager (Alasdair Gold).

Devine joined Spurs from Wigan in the summer of 2020 for a reported fee of around £500,000 (Standard) and he was used by Jose Mourinho throughout pre-season.

The Tottenham head coach has now revealed that Devine sometimes trains with the first team, despite playing prominently for the U21 and U18 youth sides. He also claimed that he and his staff like the youngster and his potential.

Mourinho said this after the Marine FC game last night (Football London): “Alfie is a good young player with good potential that came to the club only this summer. He was lucky enough to have pre-season with us which gave him close contact with the first team. He’s not a stranger to us. Plays for various youth teams and sometimes comes to us to train. International youth players as well. So good progress. A player with instinctive runs into the finishing areas. We like him.”

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