Youth Team Graduate signs New 3 Year Contract with the Club

From Academy to 1st Team

Bantams midfielder Daniel Devine has been rewarded for his impressive start to life as a professional footballer with a new three-year contract at the club.

Devine put pen to paper on his contract extension following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town at the Northern Commercials Stadium.

The 18 year-old originally signed a one-year deal last summer following his promotion up from the apprentice ranks but he is now contracted to stay with the Bantams until the end of June 2019.

In his first season with the senior squad, the youth team graduate has already featured in ten of City’s fifteen games so far in the 2016/2017 campaign, starting the first eight on the trot.

Despite his relative inexperience at League One level, the midfielder hasn’t looked out of place at all with Stuart McCall’s men, playing his part in the club’s unbeaten start to the season.

The news of Devine’s contract extension comes less than three weeks after the club handed apprentice winger Ellis Hudson a two-year professional contract.

Speaking about Devine’s new contract, Bantams boss Stuart McCall said: “We have been delighted with Danny so far this season.

“He has done great for us since coming up from the youth team last season.

“He is learning and improving as a player all the time.

“It is great for the club to be able to tie down Danny to a longer deal and it is just reward for the player after a promising start to the season.

“It is important for the club to keep hold of our younger players, and it is nice that he is Bradford lad as well.

“He is a bit unfortunate at the moment that we are quite strong in midfield but I am confident that he will go on and make a real success of his career, and we hope that it will be with us.

“He has shown great maturity for such a young player and we must now look to help improve him and make him the best player he can be.”

City’s joint-owner Edin Rahic added: “Following the series of young debutants this season and the recent signing of Ellis Hudson, this new and improved contract for Danny further highlights our philosophy to promote young talent from within.

“We would like to thank his family for their help with his career so far and this new deal.

“The fans’ song about Danny being ‘One of our own!’ could not sum up our feelings any better about this special talent.”