Gavin Cooney

TROY PARROTT SAYS he hopes to be available for Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Portugal on Saturday, as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. 

Parrott missed last month’s games against Hungary and Armenia with a knee injury, but made a tentative return to action for AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, playing the final 20 minutes of their league game against Telstar. 

Heimir Hallgrimsson says Parrott has been included in this week’s Irish squad as the “24th man”, saying he was likely to face Armenia in a week’s time rather than playing a role in Lisbon. Speaking to the media today, however, Parrott says he is not ruling himself out of the Portugal clash. 

“I feel good. I’m progressing really well”, said Parrott.

“I think at this stage I just have to take it day by day and see where I end up when the game on Saturday comes around. Of course, I’d love to play. I’m going to do everything I can to try and be available for the game.” 

Parrott says he is unaware of any restrictions on his gametime insisted upon by his club, though did say AZ are in regular contact with the Irish staff. 

Parrott was a significant absentee in last month’s qualifiers, having started the season in what he admitted was the best form of his career, scoring 10 goals across his first seven games. 

“To have it taken away, it was difficult to deal with, especially knowing that I couldn’t come in here”, he said. “I was so, so excited for the two games. To not be able to come, it was hard to take.” 

Hallgrimsson last month revealed that Parrott had rejected summer offers to leave AZ, but today Parrott himself said he did not even entertain them. 

“I wasn’t really interested in moving in the summer”, said Parrott.

“I had no real thought into it, to be honest. I was comfortable where I was and I believed that having another season in the Netherlands would really benefit me. I wasn’t paying any attention to any outside noise.” Parrott’s career has been utterly revitalised in the Eredivise, which he partly attributes to differences in the style of play. 

“A lot of the football I played in England was in the Championship”, said Parrott, “where it’s really physical games, long balls, tackles. In the Netherlands, it’s more focused on playing with the ball. I feel 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.” 

AZ will face Shelbourne in the Conference League phase later this year, with Parrott admitting his disappointment the game won’t be in Dublin. He grew up next to Tolka Park, but said with a grin today that he grew up supporting Shamrock Rovers. 

His trips home are thus reserved for international duty, and Parrott this week walks back into an Ireland squad still reeling from the 2-1 defeat away t0 Armenia that has already left their qualification hopes on the rocks. 

“Obviously I wasn’t in the game, so I don’t really know how I felt, but as a fan watching on the telly, I have the same opinion as everyone else”, said Parrott. “I think we could have played a lot better and ultimately got the win. 

“Everyone in the changing room, everyone in the coaching staff, we all know it wasn’t good enough. But it’s happened now.

“It is what it is. We can’t dwell on it. It’s not going to change anything now.” 

The Irish squad gathered at their Castleknock base yesterday evening, and trained for the first time this morning. Evan Ferguson sat out the session as he nurses an ankle injury that saw him uninvolved in Roma’s win against Fiorentina last Sunday.