View: On-loan Tottenham teen Alfie Devine stands out among his Port Vale teammates
Despite a lack of consistent starts, when on-loan Tottenham star Alfie Devine does get the nod for Port Vale, he is demonstrating his quality and tremendous potential.
During his third appearance for Port Vale, Devine came off the bench to provide an assist and score a 99th-minute winning penalty away from home against Oxford United.
It was a statement performance which showcased the youngster’s enormous potential and reminded Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou of the player he has on his hands.
Despite those heroics, he has struggled to earn consistent starts for the EFL League Two side, who themselves have struggled for form.
He has, however, been trusted in the Carabao Cup, starting and completing the full 90 minutes in both the second and third-round victories, grabbing himself an assist during the 2-1 win against Sutton United which helped the club on their way to a fourth-round tie with Mansfield Town.
Nonetheless, it took until Saturday 28 October for Devine to complete a full match in the league, during a 2-1 home defeat to Cheltenham, and despite the loss, the 19-year-old could still leave the pitch with his head held high.
As per Sofascore, he was the highest-rated Port Vale player on the day (7.6) and scored his side’s only goal, netting a superb bicycle kick. In addition to this goal, he completed 84 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key, had another shot on target, provided one accurate cross and won two of his four ground duels.
His goal leaves him in second among the club’s top scorers this season, and he also finds himself joint-second in the assist charts among Port Vale players. This is particularly impressive when considering he has started just seven of his 13 appearances, and been hooked off early during most of those starts.
It is clear that his performances and contributions are deserving of more minutes on the pitch, and it will be interesting to see how he develops should he be offered those minutes.
Whatever happens, the experience is crucial for Devine, and Tottenham supporters can rest assured in the knowledge that they have an exciting talent on their books who is developing well.
In other Tottenham news, one player has proved he can step up should Destiny Udogie’s absence extend to more than one game.