Wigan Athletic Academy product recalled by Premier League club ahead of fresh loan

The 19-year-old midfielder enjoyed a hugely successful first half of the campaign at Vale Park, making 26 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals. But Spurs wanted him to test the waters in the second tier for the second half of the season.

And he’ll head straight to Dorset to link back up with new Argyle boss Ian Foster, who knows him well from England junior duty.

“Alfie is a player I’m really familiar with,” said Foster. “I’ve known Alfie since his Wigan days, when I was working for the FA. We had a lot of players coming through the pathway at Wigan.

“When selecting Alfie for England teams, he played a year up, which shows you the level of confidence I have in him, in terms of his ability and his character.”

Devine, who featured for England at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina last summer, joined Spurs in the summer of 2020 shortly after Latics were placed into administration.

Port Vale manager Andy Crosby, said: “When Alfie joined us on loan in the summer, one of the key selling points of the club was the assurance he would be coming in and gaining valuable Football League experience in what would be his first professional loan away from Tottenham.

“We can safely say he has gained everything that was promised and more and he leaves the club a far more experienced player than when he came.

"The growth we have seen in Alfie both on and off the pitch speaks volumes of the person behind the footballer.

"He has an undying will to become the very best version of himself and we provided him with the best possible platform to do so.

“With his passion and drive partnered with his natural ability, he has all of the tools at his disposal to go on and really make a name for himself in the professional game and everybody he has met and worked with here will be willing him on to do so."

Port Vale director of football David Flitcroft added: “I would like to personally thank Tottenham Hotspur and their loans manager, Andy Scoulding, for their trust with the development of one of their elite young talents in Alfie. And in return, they will be receiving an even better, more well-rounded and experienced player and person as a result.

“Alfie has been a leading example both on and off the pitch of everything we look for when bringing in a loan player to Vale Park.

"His work ethic, his drive and his quality throughout his time with the club have been second to none and the way in which he adapted to first team League One football is a testament to his hard work and incredible talent.

“His performances on the pitch were one of the key factors which lead to Alfie receiving several call-ups to the England international camps, including being involved with a number of training sessions with England’s senior team, and he now leaves the club with the experience to kick on even further and to fulfil his obvious potential.”