TROY PARROTT BELIEVES that working alongside Harry Kane has helped his development off the pitch as well as on it.

Parrott was 17 when he made his Premier League debut for Tottenham during a 5-0 win against Burnley in which Kane scored twice.

The Dubliner, who turned 19 last week, is now continuing his education in senior football with a loan stint at Ipswich Town.

The former Belvedere attacker is set to make his third Ipswich appearance as they aim to boost their play-off hopes in tomorrow’s League One game at Shrewsbury Town.

Mauricio Pochettino introduced Parrott to the first-team at Tottenham in a Carabao Cup tie against Colchester United early in the 2019-20 season. The youngster made three further appearances as a substitute under Jose Mourinho later in the campaign.

In August he followed in Kane’s footsteps by heading out on loan to Millwall. After playing 14 times during an injury-interrupted spell, he made the switch to Ipswich a fortnight ago.

“I’d be silly not to take stuff from Harry Kane’s game because he is one of the best strikers in the world,” Parrott said of the England captain (via TWTD). “I look at all the other players as well and try to take little details from them with a view to making myself a better player.

“I’ve learned a lot from Harry, not just about the stuff on the pitch but off the pitch as well, about how to conduct myself and be thoroughly professional. In terms of playing it’s about working hard and looking to achieve consistency in my performances.

“I believe that what you do off the pitch is going to be a massive influence on what you do in games. Preparation for games and how you recover after them is a huge part of it and I don’t think there could be anyone better than Harry to look at and learn from.” 

Speaking ahead of the trip to Shrewsbury, Parrott said that while his time at Ipswich is ultimately geared towards boosting his Tottenham prospects, he’s not looking that far ahead.

The Republic of Ireland international, who earned his second senior cap against Bulgaria in November, was handed a new three-and-a-half-year contract by Tottenham last February.

He added: “The end goal is always to make it with Spurs but for now I’m not thinking about that. I’m only thinking about doing well [for Ipswich] before I start to think about anything else. I’ve come here to do a job for Ipswich and to get the games – and hopefully the goals – that can help them do well.

“I have spoken to Jose Mourinho about what is best for me at this stage of my career. He has helped me and given me his advice and his opinion, plus I’ve also had the advice of my family and other people I trust. It has led me here and I’m looking forward to the second half of the season with Ipswich now.”