All eyes were on Tottenham youngster Troy Parrott as he made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland in their friendly against New Zealand yesterday.
The 17-year-old’s goalscoring record at youth level has been outstanding over the last year and a half, and he has even been included in the Champions League squad by Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs.
Making his senior international debut was the next big step for the teenager and he has certainly passed the test comfortably based on his manager Mick McCarthy’s comments.
While Parrott couldn’t get on the scoresheet, he did get an assist to his name, setting up Ireland’s second goal in a 3-1 win on the evening.
Speaking about the forward’s display, McCarthy told RTE, “Troy did okay, he didn’t set the world on fire, but what he did, I was really pleased with,” said McCarthy.
“He held it up at times, ran the channels and had a couple of chances.
“I know everyone was desperate for him to score but the keeper thwarted him and I was pleased with what he has done.”
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The youngster was involved in a minor physical altercation with West Ham midfielder Winston Read during the match but McCarthy backed his player and insisted that he didn’t cross the line.
The Ireland manager added, “He can handle himself, I don’t doubt that. I don’t want him to be hurting anyone, but when he was tracking back and he tackled the centre-half, and he got all upset.
“I just made a point to him, ‘well done’, because they are going to kick him all over the place.
“Welcome to men’s football, because then he was getting a little bit bullied by him, but he stood up to him and I think he has done fine.”
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These kinds of experiences are great for his development and will help him mature quicker. Parrott seemingly not only has the talent to make it to the top of the game but also the right mentality. Hopefully, he will keep working hard at his game and soon get his opportunities at Tottenham.
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