Young Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine has admitted that he was embarrassed to be released from Liverpool.
The 18-year-old was let go at U12 level having spent three years at the club. After initially joining Wigan, Devine moved to Spurs in 2020. But, in an interview with The Athletic, the emotional toll of having to leave Liverpool is clearly still weighing heavy.
“I was with Liverpool from under-9s to under-12s then I got released. I was 11 or 12 at the time. The hardest part, for me at least, wasn’t when I found out… it was thinking; ‘What are my mates going to say in school?’. You feel embarrassed when you shouldn’t. I remember I didn’t want to go to school because people were asking why I wasn’t at Liverpool anymore. You don’t want to say you got released,” the teenager admitted.
“When you spend so long with a team [at Liverpool] you go on tours, I’m still mates with a few of the lads… then you go to a brand new club, the players look at you as a trialist and they don’t want you to take their position. It’s an unusual environment to go into. New players, new setup, new coaches, everything. It’s quite hard to deal with. I guess when you come into a group which has been together for so long you’re the new guy who hasn’t even signed.”
Devine out to turn the tables on Liverpool
This is a shame to hear. But the good news is that Devine looks to have put his disappointment behind him – on the pitch at least.
He is already being talked about as a future star at Spurs. The youngster was highly sought after before electing to join the Londoners in 2020 and has already made an impression.
Devine has so far played just once for Tottenham, but he made a goalscoring debut in the FA Cup in 2021. His appearance made him the club’s youngest ever player.
Opportunities haven’t come his way since then, but still barely eighteen, he’s got plenty of time yet.
Given the strength of feeling he has around being bombed out of Liverpool, it’s fair to say that Devine has a point to prove. You can bet he’ll be full of desire to show his former club that they were wrong to let him go.
There’s still a long way to go before he does that. But the early signs point to a prosperous career for the Warrington born youngster.
He’ll be hoping that, one day, it’s Liverpool who are feeling embarrassed at their failure to keep him on their books.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
