The midfielder etched his name in the history books for Spurs in their 5-0 win against Marine in the FA Cup on Sunday, becoming the visitors’ youngest first-team player and goalscorer, at the age of 16 years and 163 days.
Devine came off the bench in the second half and put the finishing touches on Tottenham’s win, adding his team’s fifth goal on the hour mark, to the delight of Mourinho.
And the Portuguese revealed Devine is no stranger to the first team, as the teenager trained with the senior squad during pre-season and even participated in friendlies, in addition to being nurtured in the Spurs’ style of football in the academy.
Mourinho added that Devine has the knack for being able to arrive in zones of the pitch where he can finish.
Asked about Devine’s performance against Marine, Mourinho told a press conference: “He’s a kid with good potential that came to the club only this summer.
“He was lucky enough to have pre-season with us because we were short of players, so he had pre-season with us and played a few friendlies.
“Which of course gave him close contact with the first team.
“He’s not a stranger, and then working in the academy, playing in different teams in the academy.
“Coming to us sometimes to train so a nice process for him.
“Also, some experience in the youth teams and in the national team so step by step he’s going.
“He’s a kid that basically is a midfield player but with an instinct to appear in finishing zones and to score goals.”
Devine only arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the last transfer window and having marked his debut appearance for Tottenham with a goal, he will look to kick on his development further.
