Republic of Ireland’s forward, Troy Parrott, is embracing the chance to carve out a reputation away from the Premier League’s intense scrutiny. The 22-year-old player’s current tally is six goals for AZ Alkmaar this season, notably four in a 9-1 Eredivisie rout of Heerenveen. His recent match against top continental teams was in last Thursday’s 2-0 Europa League loss against Athletic Bilbao.
Heralded as a player to watch since his early days at Tottenham, Parrott appreciates the opportunity to develop his skills away from the watchful eyes in England that used to put him under pressure.
Reflecting on upcoming Nations League matches against Finland on Thursday and Greece on Sunday, Parrott explained: “Being younger, it would affect me. However, with age, more games under my belt, experience in England and the Netherlands; being away, it’s not so much about escaping the press, it’s just a different experience for me which I’m thoroughly enjoying.”
Parrott, who first stepped into the Premier League for Spurs at age 17 in December 2019, shortly after his senior Ireland debut under Mick McCarthy, found the subsequent years challenging with loan spells at Millwall, Ipswich, MK Dons, Preston and Dutch team Excelsior, before his permanent move to AZ in Netherlands this summer.
In response to a query about how the pressure impacted him, he stated: “Attempting to match the expectations at such a young age, was unrealistic given how complex football can be. For me, it was more about maturing and learning to tune out distractions.” He added that this was a difficult lesson to learn, but important in his international career too.
Parrott initially found the back of the net for Ireland’s senior team, bagging two goals, during a 4-1 triumph against Andorra in a friendly match in June 2021. Since then, he hasn’t significantly increased his goal count. When inquired if Parrott has performed to his best potential for his nation, he responded, “My own assessment? I reckon not.” He recalled his memorable experiences playing in the Irish attire. Nonetheless, he asserted that his finest performance is yet to come.
“We’ve had a challenging few rounds due to lacklustre results and high-standard group opponents. Our last group shared the likes of Netherlands and France, internationally renowned teams,” he stated. He expressed responsibility for ameliorating the situation and plans to bag victories more frequently to regain their desired position.