West Bromwich Albion Born in
Chatham, Thorne joined
West Bromwich Albion's Academy in 2005, having been one of the many talented youngsters who were left without a club when Cambridge United's youth scheme closed. He made his debut in a 4–0 win over
Sheffield Wednesday in 2009–10, coming off the bench for
Simon Cox. At 16 years, 328 days, this made him the youngest player to represent Albion in a senior competitive match since
Bobby Hope in April 1960. In January 2010, Thorne signed his first professional contract with Albion, doing so prior to the club's home game with Nottingham Forest.
Portsmouth (loan) On 24 November 2011, Thorne joined
Championship team
Portsmouth on loan until 2 January 2012, alongside
Joe Mattock. He made his début two days later, starting in a 1–1 draw against
Leicester City at
Fratton Park. On 20 December 2011, he was recalled along with two other players also on loan at other clubs due to an injury crisis. On 18 February 2012, he rejoined Portsmouth on loan. He made his second debut in a 2–0 defeat against
Barnsley the same day. On 30 March, he suffered an ankle injury in the game against
Burnley, being ruled out for the rest of the season, and returning to West Brom.
Peterborough United (loan) On 21 November 2012, he joined
Peterborough United on loan until January. He made his debut three days later, helping Peterborough secure a 1–1 draw away to
Ipswich Town. He scored his first goal on 22 December in a 5–4 win against
Bolton Wanderers.
Return to West Brom On 28 December 2012, West Brom manager Steve Clarke recalled Thorne from Peterborough. Two days later, Thorne started in central midfield in a Premier League clash with
Manchester United.
Watford (loan) On 6 November 2013, Thorne went out on loan to
Watford until 2 January 2014.
Derby County (loan) On 30 January 2014, Thorne went out on loan to
Derby County for the remainder of the
2013–14 season. Thorne's first appearance for Derby County came in their 5–0 win against rivals Nottingham Forest in March 2014. He scored his first goal for Derby against Doncaster on 18 April 2014. He played his final game of the loan spell for the Rams in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley, where his side lost 1–0 to QPR.
Derby County On 18 July 2014, Derby County agreed a fee with West Bromwich Albion for Thorne. The following day, after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical, Thorne joined Derby on a four-year contract. It is predicted the fee was between £2.6 million and £3.2 million. On 22 July 2014, Thorne suffered a
cruciate knee ligament injury during a friendly match against
Zenit Saint Petersburg and was ruled out of football for up to nine months. Having fought hard to get back to fitness and into the first team again, on 7 May 2016, Thorne suffered a broken leg during the final league game of the season against Ipswich Town and was ruled out of football for over a year. This was due to a number of complications during operations and his recovery, and despite having the ability and football brain, he was physically not the same player after this injury. Thorne joined
League One club
Luton Town on 7 January 2019 on
loan until the end of
2018–19.
Oxford United He joined another League One club,
Oxford United, on 19 August 2019 on loan until January 2020. The loan was made permanent on 22 January 2020, with Thorne signing a contract until the end of the
2019–20 season. In August 2020, Oxford announced that Thorne has been released by mutual consent.
Bedford Town On 12 September 2022, Thorne signed for
Southern League Premier Division Central club
Bedford Town. ==International career==