Clive Allen had some high words of praise for Alfie Devine on the back of the second-half performance he delivered against West Ham.
Tottenham found themselves 2-0 down at half-time against the Hammers in their first pre-season friendly of the summer despite showing some promise in the first 45, with both goals coming against the run of play.
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – APRIL 06: Alfie Devine of Tottenham Hotspur during a training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on April 06, 2023 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
The Lilywhites gave an even better account of themselves in the second period, with Ange Postecoglou fielding a completely different eleven after the interval.
Devine was one of the players introduced at half-time, with the attacking midfielder being asked to play slightly out of position on the right flank.
He was arguably one of the best players on the field during the second 45 minutes as Spurs kept West Ham pinned in and created chance after chance, with most of their attacking threat coming down the right.
Clive Allen was impressed by Alfie Devine this week
The 18-year-old showed plenty of game awareness and combined well with the likes of Emerson Royal, Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr, with Allen being left rather impressed with what he saw from the teenager.
Speaking after Tottenham’s 3-2 loss, the former Spurs striker told Spurs Play: “You can see that Alfie Devine is capable.
“He’s come into a difficult situation, a first-team game 2-0 down against Premier League opposition and you can see that he wasn’t out of place.
“I think that bodes well for the manager dipping into the academy. No fear!”
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I would love to see how Devine does in the number eight role in Postecoglou’s system as the youngster has all the attributes to succeed in that position.
However, with Maddison being signed for that role and with Lo Celso impressing in that position against West Ham, it is unlikely that we will see Devine play through the middle during pre-season.
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