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‘Bit harsh’: 18-year-old Tottenham youngster says Jose Mourinho didn’t speak to him for weeks after handing him debut
Tottenham Hotspur youngster Alfie Devine has told that his former boss Jose Mourinho didn’t speak to him for weeks after handing him his debut for the club.
Devine made the switch to north London from Wigan Athletic back in 2020 and looks to have a really bright future ahead of him.
The 18-year-old has impressed for Spurs at youth level and has already gained 13 caps for England’s U19 side.
The all-action midfielder made history for Tottenham back in January 2021 too after Mourinho handed him his debut in the FA Cup against Marine.
He became Spurs’ youngest ever player, aged 16 years and 163 days, while becoming their youngest goal scorer just 15 minutes after being introduced to the action.
But Devine has now revealed that Mourinho didn’t really speak to him after he set a new record at Tottenham.
Devine on Mourinho
, Devine reflected on making his professional debut for Spurs and how Mourinho treated him afterwards.
“To be fair, after the game Mourinho didn’t really speak and then two weeks after that I didn’t go with the first team,” he said.
“He mentioned later in an interview that when you have a high, sometimes you need to be brought back down to earth and get ready to go again. At the time I thought it was a bit harsh, but looking back now it was the right decision.”
Devine is yet to get another go in the Spurs first-team since Mourinho handed him his debut but the youngster clearly feels the Portuguese boss was right to give him the cold shoulder.
The former Wigan youngster has been spotted training with Antonio Conte’s side in recent weeks, but he seems to be no closer to breaking into the first-team.
claims that Devine is now likely to leave on loan in January to seek regular first-team football.
The youngster clearly has a bright future ahead of him and he’s now at the right age to go out and play first-team football.