THERE WAS BAD news for Ireland’s U17s on Monday night as star forward Troy Parrott was stretchered off during Tottenham’s U23 clash against Derby County.
Earlier today Ireland head coach Colin O’Brien said he and his backroom team would make a decision tomorrow (Tuesday) as to whether or not the Dubliner would be part of their final squad for the tournament, which is being held on home soil this year.
He scored three goals as Ireland made it all the way to the quarter-finals of last year’s U17 Euros in England, but did not feature in today’s 19-man squad announcement as a decision over Parrott’s inclusion was yet to be made.
“A decision will be made on the final player to complete the squad with O’Brien still in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over the possibility of playmaker Troy Parrott being involved,” a press release from the FAI read today.
The 17-year-old started tonight’s meeting with Derby, but was stretchered off following a hefty challenge in the second half.
Parrott, who has also represented his country at U19 level, was called up for Stephen Kenny’s first Ireland U21 squad for the first time last month.
However, the forward was forced to miss the subsequent 3-0 victory against Luxembourg at Tallaght Stadium as he continued to recover from a toe injury.
Ireland’s U17 Euro campaign gets underway on Friday evening against Greece, however tonight’s injury setback has put Parrott’s involvement in the competition into serious doubt.
Troy Parrott being taken off on a stretcher, worrying for the young Irish lad and for the @FAIreland ahead of a busy summer for the u17s & u21s pic.twitter.com/Kl5ZgOV8V5
— Shaun Shields (@ShaunShields) April 29, 2019
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