JIM CRAWFORD SAYS Troy Parrott is not yet ready to play 90 minutes, as Ireland U21s prepare for today’s game with Iceland.
A victory at Tallaght Stadium this afternoon, coupled with a win over Luxembourg in Beggen on Wednesday, would likely be enough to see the team reach the Euros.
With four goals to his name, Parrott has been a key player for the side during this campaign, but the 18-year-old has been out with a long-term injury and has not featured for his loan club Millwall since September.
While the youngster has been deemed fit enough for a call-up, Crawford admits he will have to be used sparingly.
“Troy being Troy wants to play two games, but look, we have to be careful. He’s not back training long.
“It’s just something that we’ve spoken about with regards our own staff, how we could utilise him if needed. But Troy, he’s certainly come here, he’s lit the place up (a) with his personality and (b) with the way he trains. He’s been really good in training.
“Bigger picture stuff is you get into that Millwall team, you play every week and hopefully he can progress and play many games and score many goals with the senior international team.
“But it’s all about the process with Troy. He’s an extremely level-headed fella and he understands where he’s at with regards his football career at the minute.
[Tottenham] are very protective of him and rightly so. He’s a player who has been out for a while, but our medical team spoke to Millwall’s medical team. We’ve guidelines there. I didn’t hear from Gary Rowett myself. As I said already, we’ll look to protect Troy because we understand that it’s been several weeks and he’s only come back for a handful of training sessions you know. We’ll be mindful of that and the way we use him.”
Asked directly whether he can currently play 90 minutes, Crawford replied: “There has got to be a sensible approach here, how long is he able to play for? I don’t know, but certainly not 90 minutes at the required intensity that you need from a player.
“He’s been out quite a long time at Millwall, he’s only been back in contact training for a number of sessions too. You just have to monitor the situation to the best we can. I’m probably a little bit surprised that he wasn’t on the bench in Millwall’s last game. By all accounts he was available for selection, we’ll look after that anyway.”
Crawford, however, did hint that the Dubliner could be sprung from the bench if necessary today.
“He’s a player, and what a player, to bring on in a game. I think the whole staff would echo that even with regards to the way he has trained. My thing with Troy is he was involved with the senior team during this campaign and he couldn’t wait to get over to the 21s and play. He just loves playing for Ireland. We’d had a conversation before camp and getting off the phone to him, he had me in high spirits, because he just loves playing.”
It won’t be easy for the Irish team, with Luca Connell on Saturday having to withdraw due to injury and Jason Knight getting called up to the senior team, while St Pat’s youngster Jamie Lennon is a late inclusion in the squad.
Yet despite these issues and the loss of a couple of key players to the senior team, Crawford remains confident his squad can cope.
This group of players, they’ve been through a lot. Now I now six of them have jumped up but I know it has that visible pathway that these players here might get the opportunity with the senior team. We went to Toulon, we went through that whole tournament together, there is a real good culture amongst the group, a real never-say-die attitude. And we have team activities, we make sure that happens in every camp and that’s seamless. They get on really well and it’s something that I think they bring to the pitch with them. It’s great that the game is on TV and the public will see that, how they work for each other, how they have this passion, desire and real grit about them when they are on the pitch.
“In between the Italy window until now, the work from myself and the staff has been unbelievable. There has been no stone left unturned. Since the players have come in for this camp, training has been right, they’ve taken onboard all the information in team meetings, have shown how in tune they are to Iceland and what’s expected of them in regards our game plan.
“The country does need a lift with regards football. We can deliver I’m sure. Is it going to be easy? Far from it, Iceland are an excellent team with a lot of really good players. But we got to bear in mind we came in as fourth seeds and we’ve turned everybody’s heads that we’re in the last window and we can still qualify, it shows the quality we have at 21s level.”
