Mourinho tips Wigan Athletic product for the top

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has hailed the 'potential' of Alfie Devine after the former Wigan Athletic Academy starlet burst onto the scene in style at the weekend.
Alfie Devine scores for Spurs against MarineAlfie Devine scores for Spurs against Marine
Alfie Devine scores for Spurs against Marine

Devine was one of the first players out of the door last summer after Latics were placed into administration, with Spurs paying £300,000 for the 15-year-old.

His profession at Spurs has been meteoric, with him already becoming a regular in their Under-23 side.

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And at the weekend, he marked his first-team debut in the FA Cup win at Marine with his maiden senior goal - setting club records for both at the tender age of 16 years and 163 days,

“He’s a kid with good potential that came to the club only this summer,” enthused Spurs boss Mourinho.

“He was lucky enough to have pre-season with us because we were short of players, so he had pre-season with us and played a few friendlies.

“Which of course gave him close contact with the first team, so he’s not a stranger.

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“He’s been working in the academy, playing in different teams in the academy, coming to us sometimes to train, so it’s a nice process for him.

“Also some experience in the youth teams and in the national team so step by step he’s going.

“He’s a kid that basically is a midfield player but with an instinct to appear in finishing zones and to score goals.

“We like him and of course for him today is a special day.”

Devine’s dad Sean was a professional rugby league player, making 39 appearances for St Helens between 1986 and 1990, while his cousin Kalan is also on the club’s scholarship programme.

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After starting out at Liverpool, Devine moved to Wigan aged 11, where his potential was quickly noticed.

He first caught Spurs’ attention with a strong performance in Latics’ FA Youth Cup victory over the Premier League side last January .

If Devine had any doubts about if he was making the right decision about his future, they will have disappeared when JMourinho turned up at his medical to meet him.

It was clear he was thought highly of, so much so that Mourinho used Devine in his pre-season plans, giving him playing time in a friendly win against Ipswich.

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It didn't take long for the midfielder to be moved up an age group from the Under-18s to the Under-23s and he proved he was not going to be over-awed as he hit the headlines in a game with Chelsea.

Devine went in strongly on former England international Danny Drinkwater and the pair clashed afterwards, both receiving a red card.

Mourinho seemed impressed enough to include him in some first-team training sessions not long after.