THEIR LONG CAREERS, you hope, are still out in front of them.
For two of the Republic of Ireland’s most gifted talents, they have put themselves in positions of power ahead of some immediate decisions that will go some way to shaping that future.
Gavin Bazunu and Troy Parrott, it would appear, have an interesting few weeks ahead.
As reported by The42, Ireland’s number one goalkeeper will not be short of options when he returns to parent club Manchester City at the end of his loan spell with Portsmouth.
The 20-year-old kept his 17th clean sheet of the season against Rotherham United in League One last week and is tipped to be named the club’s player of the year.
It is that impact, as well as the manner in which he has announced himself on the international stage under Stephen Kenny, that has led to clubs throughout Europe, and the Premier League, circling.
With two years left on his current contract, City now have a serious decision to make regarding his future – do they cash in or offer a new deal to provide a possible pathway to the first team?
Bazunu is eager to maintain his status as a number one goalkeeper at club level – he’s already approaching 100 senior games – and the talks he holds with the club’s head of goalkeeping, Xabi Mancisidor, will be crucial.
They have handled his development path expertly and the pair’s relationship is solid, one built on trust and mutual respect, but just like every other decision taken on his path, it will be Bazunu who makes the final call on what happens next.
It was he who was prepared to leave Shamrock Rovers early and complete his Leaving Cert remotely from his digs within City’s multi-million training complex – a room which bears a poster of the Irish Proclamation of Independence alongside the team poster of the first Hoops squad he was part of.
Bazunu was the one who opted for his first loan move to Rochdale under boss Brian Barry Murphy – the talented coach from Cork since leaving that post to take up a role as boss of City’s Elite Development Squad last summer – and he also chose Portsmouth for this season amid interest elsewhere.
Premier League clubs now want to sign Bazunu permanently, so too a raft of Serie A and Bundesliga sides – some of which are challenging for European football next season – while a raft of Championship clubs are also in the mix.
Although, as a senior figure at one club in England’s second tier explained to The42 when discussing Bazunu’s future, the expectation is that he’s destined for a bigger move.
It hasn’t quite forced City’s hand, but it has given them much more to consider when he returns to Manchester next month.
With two years to go on his current deal, they are prepared for the bids that will be made.
Put simply, if the deal is right for all concerned then Bazunu might just be heading for the exit door to continue his development as a club’s permanent, outright number one.
All options are on the table, but playing regular football is the key aspect in any decision.
And the same goes for Parrott, who also finds himself in the midst of the brightest spell of his fledgling career.
That form, too, comes at a time when his Tottenham future is at a starker crossroads than Bazunu’s.
The Ireland striker is entering the final year of his Spurs contract – although an option for a further 12 months could be trigged by the club.
That, however, may only serve to kick the can down the road on what happens next.
The42 was informed at the start of this month, just after Parrott’s sublime 97th-minute wonder goal against Lithuania, that one of two things would happen when his spell with MK Dons ends: he will either sign a new contract on increased financial terms or be sold to recoup the outlay since he signed from Belvedere as a 15-year-old.
His latest exploits in League One – following up his sensational volley against AFC Wimbledon with another fine finish in Dons’ 3-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last wekeend – have highlighted his ability once he has a continued run of form and stays free of injury.
Parrott has already had to contend with what have been described as “significant injuries for someone his age”.
A quad problem and issues with both ankles mean he must manage his body with specific pre- and post-conditioning work around training.
That he has maintained those routines and not required altered schedules to his teammates on duty for club and country has been noted, a further indication of the maturity and professionalism that will be required to make the most of the natural talent that excites so many.
On the pitch, both Bazunu and Parrott have used this year to raise their stock.
Decisions made off it will now help determine if the value continues to soar.