IN THE LONG catalogue of the casual absurdities of this job, a moment at Ireland’s summer training camp in Antalya two years ago stands out.
Troy Parrott has hung back after training to speak to the handful of journalists cooking ungainly beneath the afternoon sun, all sweat-stained but breathless with excitement about our latest wunderkid, Evan Ferguson.
Hence Parrott is peppered with questions about his team-mate.
Troy you were in the spotlight when you were that age, do you have any advice for Evan?
“I’m not too much older than him!”, replies Parrott.
“So I don’t want to say what he should or shouldn’t do. If I can say something it’s to keep doing what he’s doing as he’s smashing it right now and that can only help us.
“But I’m not a senior! I’m still one of the young lads.”
Parrott was right to push back: he was only 21 at the time.
And how can a 21-year-old senior international be the wizened voice of bitter life experience?
But that’s we expect of our most talented footballers: we subject them to a ludicrously accelerated lifespan.
Parrott’s breakout performance against Portugal on Thursday at the age of only 23 is a reminder that every great prospect needs not only talent and work ethic. They need time too, not only to adapt to the demands of the game but to figure out the right club environment. Parrott has happily found his in the Eredivisie, and Ireland are now reaping the benefits.
Parrott grew up with all of precocity’s emblems. Vincent Butler at Belvedere was always certain of Parrott’s talent, and he caught the eye among FAI scouts when he played for Belvedere against an Irish U16 selection – some of whom were three years’ Parrott’s senior – in a game arranged in tribute to Shay Ayetigbo, who died tragically during a DDSL game for Belvedere against St Kevin’s.
Parrott was soon playing for Irish underage teams: he played for the U19s when he was still U17, and Stephen Kenny called him up to the U21s squad at the age of just 17, for whom he became the nation’s youngest-ever scorer at that level until Mason Melia and Michael Noonan came along.
He was 17 when he made his Spurs’ first team debut in the Carabao Cup.
He was also 17 when he made his senior Irish debut in a friendly against New Zealand, the excitement around Parrott shown by the fact Mick McCarthy broke the habit of a lifetime to announce that the teenager would play ahead of time, presumably to try and shift a few more tickets.
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And he was 17 when he made his Premier League debut, after which he was ostentatiously handed the matchball by Jose Mourinho.
Parrott and Mourinho. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Spurs then sent him down the Harry Kane route by arranging a loan move to Millwall, but tried to dampen down the hype by requesting that journalists didn’t ask him about Kane upon his unveiling.
But then things began to stall. Injury meant he didn’t make his Millwall debut until the end of November, and so the move was cut short and instead he dropped down a division to join Ipswich instead. He played regularly in League One but scored only twice, but he returned to the same level the following season for another loan spell, this time with MK Dons. He stayed largely injury-free, scored 10 goals and helped Dons finish third, which earned him a return to the Championship, with Preston. Injury struck yet again at Preston, though, as Parrott tore his hamstring as he scored his first goal for the club. He was denied even a chance to celebrate, and missed three months.
All the while he was a much more important player for Ireland than was acknowledged. When Kenny’s position was under legitimate threat while 1-0 down in a friendly against Andorra, it was Parrott who scored twice to forestall that disaster. He later scored a majestic late volley to beat Lithuania in a friendly, and was central to the 3-0 Nations League win over Scotland, the high point of Kenny’s reign.
Injuries and their attendant lack of match fitness meant he sometimes drifted to Ireland’s fringes, however, and prior to that training camp in Antalya, he had been omitted from the matchday squad for the Euro qualifier at home to France in March.
Across those many loan spells, Parrott bounced around positions too, sometimes leading the line but more often playing in more withdrawn roles. Kenny lamented that Parrott was being asked to drop too deep, especially in Preston’s 3-4-1-2, in which Parrott was behind the striking duo and therefore ending up as a midfielder.
“I don’t want him to become that”, said Kenny at the time. “He was out of the box too much in playing behind the front two and I think he has the capability of scoring goals, as well as creating goals. If he had another loan spell this year and had a good pre-season, I think he could fire.”
On this, Kenny was prophetic. Parrott’s fifth and final loan move from Tottenham was to Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie, for whom he played at centre-forward and scored 10 league goals in spite of the season ending in relegation. A permanent move to AZ Alkmaar allowed Parrott to stay in the Dutch top flight, however, where he has blossomed into the guy you saw score twice against Portugal.
Parrott makes his senior debut for Ireland in 2019. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The style of the Dutch league has suited him much more than the relentless cut and thrust of England’s lower divisions, which has meant his injuries have largely cleared up.
“A lot of the football I played in England was in the Championship, where it’s really physical games, long balls, tackles”, said Parrott last month.
“In the Netherlands it’s more focused on playing with the ball. And I feel like for me, that suits me a lot more than the long balls and fighting. So that’s probably one of the reasons why it’s worked out so well so far.”
Consistently available, Parrott has consistently played as a striker, too, and in this regard, Kenny has been proven right: Parrott has thus far clocked 40 goals and assists in 61 appearances for AZ.
He has had to fight for his status at AZ, and is selected ahead of Mexx Meerdink, who was called up to the Dutch senior squad for the first time last month to much national clamour. Parrott, though, is his club’s first-choice, partly because of his work-rate and the effectiveness of his pressing. Without that part of his game, of course, he would not have chased down the Portugal goalkeeper and won the corner from which Ireland scored their opening goal on Thursday night.
“It’s not been any surprise to me how well Troy’s doing at club level and then how well he did on Thursday night as well”, says Caoimhín Kelleher. “He’s had some tough times as well, but since he’s gone to Holland he’s been unbelievable. I think he really was due that big moment in an Ireland shirt, and I think now he’s got that he’s going to be hungry for more. You can see already he wants to score today.”
Others may have their belief in Parrott shaken on the winding road to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, but Parrott never lost much confidence in himself.
In an interview with ESPN earlier this year, Parrott was asked to rank strikers against one another.
Troy Parrott or Evan Ferguson?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Jorgen Strand Larsen?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Jamie Vardy?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Dominic Solanke?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Ollie Watkins?
“I really like Ollie Watkins. . . but I have to say Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Alexander Isak?
“I can give this one to Alexander Isak. For now.”
The national need for another goalscoring hero meant most of us were in no mood to give Parrott the time he needed, but happily he has been singular enough to plot his own course.
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How Troy Parrott overcame the burden of great expectations
IN THE LONG catalogue of the casual absurdities of this job, a moment at Ireland’s summer training camp in Antalya two years ago stands out.
Troy Parrott has hung back after training to speak to the handful of journalists cooking ungainly beneath the afternoon sun, all sweat-stained but breathless with excitement about our latest wunderkid, Evan Ferguson.
Hence Parrott is peppered with questions about his team-mate.
Troy you were in the spotlight when you were that age, do you have any advice for Evan?
“I’m not too much older than him!”, replies Parrott.
“So I don’t want to say what he should or shouldn’t do. If I can say something it’s to keep doing what he’s doing as he’s smashing it right now and that can only help us.
“But I’m not a senior! I’m still one of the young lads.”
Parrott was right to push back: he was only 21 at the time.
And how can a 21-year-old senior international be the wizened voice of bitter life experience?
But that’s we expect of our most talented footballers: we subject them to a ludicrously accelerated lifespan.
Parrott’s breakout performance against Portugal on Thursday at the age of only 23 is a reminder that every great prospect needs not only talent and work ethic. They need time too, not only to adapt to the demands of the game but to figure out the right club environment. Parrott has happily found his in the Eredivisie, and Ireland are now reaping the benefits.
Parrott grew up with all of precocity’s emblems. Vincent Butler at Belvedere was always certain of Parrott’s talent, and he caught the eye among FAI scouts when he played for Belvedere against an Irish U16 selection – some of whom were three years’ Parrott’s senior – in a game arranged in tribute to Shay Ayetigbo, who died tragically during a DDSL game for Belvedere against St Kevin’s.
Parrott was soon playing for Irish underage teams: he played for the U19s when he was still U17, and Stephen Kenny called him up to the U21s squad at the age of just 17, for whom he became the nation’s youngest-ever scorer at that level until Mason Melia and Michael Noonan came along.
He was 17 when he made his Spurs’ first team debut in the Carabao Cup.
He was also 17 when he made his senior Irish debut in a friendly against New Zealand, the excitement around Parrott shown by the fact Mick McCarthy broke the habit of a lifetime to announce that the teenager would play ahead of time, presumably to try and shift a few more tickets.
And he was 17 when he made his Premier League debut, after which he was ostentatiously handed the matchball by Jose Mourinho.
Spurs then sent him down the Harry Kane route by arranging a loan move to Millwall, but tried to dampen down the hype by requesting that journalists didn’t ask him about Kane upon his unveiling.
But then things began to stall. Injury meant he didn’t make his Millwall debut until the end of November, and so the move was cut short and instead he dropped down a division to join Ipswich instead. He played regularly in League One but scored only twice, but he returned to the same level the following season for another loan spell, this time with MK Dons. He stayed largely injury-free, scored 10 goals and helped Dons finish third, which earned him a return to the Championship, with Preston. Injury struck yet again at Preston, though, as Parrott tore his hamstring as he scored his first goal for the club. He was denied even a chance to celebrate, and missed three months.
All the while he was a much more important player for Ireland than was acknowledged. When Kenny’s position was under legitimate threat while 1-0 down in a friendly against Andorra, it was Parrott who scored twice to forestall that disaster. He later scored a majestic late volley to beat Lithuania in a friendly, and was central to the 3-0 Nations League win over Scotland, the high point of Kenny’s reign.
Injuries and their attendant lack of match fitness meant he sometimes drifted to Ireland’s fringes, however, and prior to that training camp in Antalya, he had been omitted from the matchday squad for the Euro qualifier at home to France in March.
Across those many loan spells, Parrott bounced around positions too, sometimes leading the line but more often playing in more withdrawn roles. Kenny lamented that Parrott was being asked to drop too deep, especially in Preston’s 3-4-1-2, in which Parrott was behind the striking duo and therefore ending up as a midfielder.
“I don’t want him to become that”, said Kenny at the time. “He was out of the box too much in playing behind the front two and I think he has the capability of scoring goals, as well as creating goals. If he had another loan spell this year and had a good pre-season, I think he could fire.”
On this, Kenny was prophetic. Parrott’s fifth and final loan move from Tottenham was to Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie, for whom he played at centre-forward and scored 10 league goals in spite of the season ending in relegation. A permanent move to AZ Alkmaar allowed Parrott to stay in the Dutch top flight, however, where he has blossomed into the guy you saw score twice against Portugal.
The style of the Dutch league has suited him much more than the relentless cut and thrust of England’s lower divisions, which has meant his injuries have largely cleared up.
“A lot of the football I played in England was in the Championship, where it’s really physical games, long balls, tackles”, said Parrott last month.
“In the Netherlands it’s more focused on playing with the ball. And I feel like for me, that suits me a lot more than the long balls and fighting. So that’s probably one of the reasons why it’s worked out so well so far.”
Consistently available, Parrott has consistently played as a striker, too, and in this regard, Kenny has been proven right: Parrott has thus far clocked 40 goals and assists in 61 appearances for AZ.
He has had to fight for his status at AZ, and is selected ahead of Mexx Meerdink, who was called up to the Dutch senior squad for the first time last month to much national clamour. Parrott, though, is his club’s first-choice, partly because of his work-rate and the effectiveness of his pressing. Without that part of his game, of course, he would not have chased down the Portugal goalkeeper and won the corner from which Ireland scored their opening goal on Thursday night.
“It’s not been any surprise to me how well Troy’s doing at club level and then how well he did on Thursday night as well”, says Caoimhín Kelleher. “He’s had some tough times as well, but since he’s gone to Holland he’s been unbelievable. I think he really was due that big moment in an Ireland shirt, and I think now he’s got that he’s going to be hungry for more. You can see already he wants to score today.”
Others may have their belief in Parrott shaken on the winding road to the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, but Parrott never lost much confidence in himself.
In an interview with ESPN earlier this year, Parrott was asked to rank strikers against one another.
Troy Parrott or Evan Ferguson?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Jorgen Strand Larsen?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Jamie Vardy?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Dominic Solanke?
“Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Ollie Watkins?
“I really like Ollie Watkins. . . but I have to say Troy Parrott.”
Troy Parrott or Alexander Isak?
“I can give this one to Alexander Isak. For now.”
The national need for another goalscoring hero meant most of us were in no mood to give Parrott the time he needed, but happily he has been singular enough to plot his own course.
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2026 world cup qualifiers Republic Of Ireland Taking Flight Troy Parrott