PLYMOUTH Argyle manager Ian Foster has bolstered his squad by making two new signings

Highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder Alfie Devine has arrived on loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, having spent the first part of this season with Port Vale, playing 26 games and scoring three goals. 

The Pilgrims have also made the permanent signing of wing-back Matthew Sorinola, who joins as a free agent after recently been released by leading Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

Devine played in the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina in the summer, alongside Darko Gyabi, rsigned on loan from Leeds United last week, and in the England Under-19 squad that won the 2022 European Championship. On both occasions Foster was manager.

Devine was in the Liverpool academy until the age of 11, then moved to Wigan, for whom he played as the Latics reached the FA Youth Cup quarter-final. 

He was signed, just shy of his 16th birthday, by Tottenham, for whom he signed professional terms in August 2021, when he turned 17. 

Before that, though, Devine made a bit of Spurs history when coming on as a half-time substitute in the Emirates FA Cup away to Marine, in January 2021, becoming not only Tottenham’s youngest-ever player when taking the field but their youngest goalscorer too when he netted their fifth goal. 

Foster said: “Alfie is a player I’m really familiar with. I've known Alfie since his Wigan days, when I was working for the FA. We had a lot of players coming through the pathway at Wigan. When selecting Alfie for England teams, he played a year up, which shows you the level of confidence I have in him, in terms of his ability and his character.

“Bringing him here was a no-brainer in terms of knowing what I'm getting from the person and the player. I know how talented he is, I know how hard-working he is, and it gives me a little bit of a head start because he knows the role and he knows exactly what I'll be asking him to do. Regardless of the shape, he understands the principles of play.

“He's a really versatile attacking midfield player. He can play in advanced midfield roles, and he can also play in that deeper role as well. 

“He can handle the ball in tight areas under pressure, and he is an attacking threat. He's someone that can cover a lot of positions for us, which is a great thing to have.”

Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip added: “Alfie follows Ashley Phillips in from Tottenham Hotspur, and it shows what Spurs think of us that they have entrusted us with two of their brightest young prospects. 

“Alfie is well-known to Ian, as someone who has selected him for England age groups, and he is known to our recruitment department, who have identified Alfie as a leading player in Sky Bet League One this season with Port Vale. 

“He fits the profile of a young, talented player who we can assist in developing, and who will offer us great energy, ability and creativity in our midfield.”

Sorinola, 22, came through the ranks at Milton Keynes Dons, for whom he made his debut, aged 18, in the EFL Trophy, during the 2019/20 season. He also gained experience on loan with Southern Premier League side Beaconsfield Town. 

In 2020-21, he played 43 times for the Dons in Sky Bet League One but opted to depart in the summer of 2021 for Union SG, who at that stage had just been promoted to the Belgian top flight, the Jupiler Pro League. 

In their first season back, Union SG finished second in the Pro League, with Sorinola playing 16 times, all from the bench. 

Last season, Sorinola reunited with his former MK Dons manager Russell Martin on loan at Swansea City in the Championship, playing 31 times, including 21 starts, and scoringd twice, as Swansea finished 13th. 

“We are very pleased to pick up Matthew as a free agent,” said Foster. “He is a really good age, he's got great experience of English football, and he has had a taste of football on the continent as well, which will do him the world of good in terms of his development as a person and a player.

“He is someone that we're really excited to welcome to Argyle.

“He's got versatility as a wing-back. He played off both sides in his days at MK Dons. He's athletic and has good technical ability. He is someone that we feel we can develop and help and hopefully he can help us go on to the next level.”

Dewsnip added: "Our recruitment team have done an excellent job of getting this deal sorted, securing the services of someone we have had on our radar, and who became a priority signing in the wake of Kaine Kesler-Hayden’s recall by Aston Villa. 

​” Matthew is only 22, but has experience of playing for good footballing sides at League One and Championship level, as well as in Belgium with a leading club in that division. He will be a superb asset for us.”