'My aim is' - Championship boss confirms big hope for Tottenham star with 4 goal contributions this season

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom has big hopes for one Tottenham star this season. Alfie Devine is with Preston on a loan deal this season, with the 21-year-old attacking midfielder looking to step up his development after a campaign with Belgian club Westerlo last season.

He did well with the Belgian club, scoring six times in 30 league appearances from midfield, and he has enjoyed a strong start with Preston. Devine has scored twice and assisted twice in 12 appearances across all competitions, with Preston currently in 10th spot.

Devine was an England under-20s international, and he is yet to become an under-21s international, with teammate Thierry Small recently making it in. Now North End boss Heckingbottom is targeting a call-up for Devine over the coming weeks and months.

“Yeah, my aim is to try and get Alfie (Devine) in that as well this season,” said Heckingbottom, as cited by the Lancashire Post. “I think it’s great recognition and something that Thierry can be proud of. But it is a stepping stone, is it not?

“You cannot be satisfied with a stepping stone. But yeah, it is good. He went away in the first one; feedback was good. He did not get minutes but they called him up again, so you know then the feedback was truthful and they were happy with him.

“Then, he gets some minutes in the first game (this time) which is great, so his job is to try and sustain that. The 21s are totally different from the other age groups. It is serious. It is under-21s, but it is under-21 at the start of each cycle and campaign.

“So you are actually playing with 23, 24-year-olds who are the best in the country. It is a big achievement to get in that squad. Thierry has openly said it and we have lots of players who have ambitions to be performing in the Premier League.

“The majority there are in the Premier League, so you get an eye-opener as to the talent that the players have. One or two will have the mentality as well and already be performing at the top. That recognition is a really big motivator for you to keep going and drive on and try and get more.”

Devine will want to push for Spurs future

Along with an England under-21s call-up, Devine will be hoping to be around Tottenham’s plans next season, and he will need a strong season in the Championship to pull that off, especially with competition improving at Spurs this season.

Former Spurs buss Ange Postecoglou once said of Devine in 2023: “It’s an important part of this football club and the infrastructure and it’s something that we’re constantly monitoring to make sure the club is in the best place possible to find and develop the best talent. We’ve got Alfie Devine with us and Dane Scarlett, who are two young guys who have done really well so far and been with the first team.”

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