‘Work harder’ – Pundit sends message to Spurs starlet after tough season

Mark Lawrenson has backed Tottenham youngster Troy Parrott to bounce back after a difficult season, insisting that the striker would have learned a great deal out on loan.

When it was announced last summer that Parrott was set to join Millwall on loan, some Spurs fans were hoping that the striker would take the Championship by storm.

However, the teenager did not make the expected impact when opportunities came his way and found himself struggling to get into the team by December, which led Spurs to recall him and loan him out to Ipswich in January.

While the 19-year-old fared much better for the League One side, featuring often in a number ten role, he only managed to find the back of the net twice during his time at the Portman Road Stadium.

However, Parrott demonstrated for the Republic of Ireland in their international friendly against Andorra last week just why he is so highly rated, as he opened his international account with a well-taken brace.

Lawrenson has insisted on the back of that performance that the Spurs youngster is too good to be dropped even if he goes through bad spells.

The Ireland legend told Off the Ball: “The thing with Troy, over the course of the last season, he has probably learnt more about the game. He’s learnt more about himself.

“He’s probably learnt the fact that he might have to work harder. He’ll be getting coached every single day because if a player is struggling, you don’t suddenly drop him because they think he has massive potential.

“Everyone has a season of (struggle). Even the top players, come into the Premier League, have a great season and then the next season they’re not quite as good.”

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Players’ growth trajectories do not always follow a linear path and so no one should be writing Parrott off just because he did not make the expected impact at Millwall or Ispwich.

Harry Kane himself struggled during a couple of his loan spells and very few people at Spurs thought he had the potential to go on to become what he has.

It will be interesting to see if the new manager decides to keep Parrott around at the club until January to take a close look at him rather than sending the youngster out on loan again.

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