Tottenham Hotspur youth prospect Troy Parrott signed a new deal with the north London club to keep him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2023. In December, the 18-year-old made his Premier League debut against Burnley (his only top-flight appearance to date) but has struggled for game time under Jose Mourinho despite the absence of Harry Kane through a hamstring injury.
The striker also made his international debut in late 2019 for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly win against New Zealand and his manager Mick McCarthy replied: “Not really,” when asked if he was pleased that Parrott had signed a new deal.
With Ireland facing a playoff trip Slovakia to ensure their progression to Euro 2020, Parrott could have been a surprise inclusion in the squad and gained valuable international experience. However, that is appearing increasingly unlikely after McCarthy said: “I wish he’d gone to Charlton and played games on loan,” a damning assessment of his new deal. Though it did not stop there as the Republic of Ireland boss continued to say: “It’s great for him financially, he’s got a new contract, but I wish he were playing football somewhere.”
Parrott’s chances of helping the Republic of Ireland qualify for their third successive European Championships, having also qualified in 1988, are slim with his international manager saying: “If he’s not playing competitive football, he has very little chance of being in the squad.”
Parrott had initially impressed for the Tottenham Hotspur after he scored 17 goals in 14 games, along with 13 assists for their U18 side. Though his eye-catching displays did not stop there as the young striker found the back of the net nine times in nine games for Tottenham Hotspur’s UEFA U19 side, while also providing two assists. However, things have slowed slightly since playing for the U23 squad, where he has scored four in 13 appearances and provided one assist.
Though it appears youth performances alone will not be enough to entice McCarthy to include the 18-year-old in his squad. Based on the Republic of Ireland manager’s comments it seems Parrott will have to wait to add to his single international cap.
