Former Ireland and Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has said that Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed by what he has seen from young Ireland forward Troy Parrott.
Parrott has been a sensation for the Spurs underage teams, scoring 14 goals in nine games with the club’s U18 side while he’s netted twice for the club’s Premier League 2 side.
The 17-year-old is one of Irish football’s brightest prospects and Keane has said that everyone at Tottenham has been impressed by what they have seen from the Dubliner.
“We have to be careful with Troy Parrott,” Keane said at Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin as part of his duties as a Euro 2020 Ambassador.
“I think all of us here have to be careful that we’re not pigeon holing him into being the next me. It’s him. He’s Troy Parrott. Let him develop as a young player.
“He’s got ability, I speak to Pochettino all the time and he loves him. Jesus the assistant manager loves him. He definitely has potential but he’s 17 and I know I got thrown in at 17 but he’s still young.
“He’s got a lot of potential. People at Tottenham love him. He’s a lovely lad but when he gets the opportunity to go to the U21s he certainly has a chance but it’s up to him.
“He’s got everything but it’s how do you get from there to there.”
Keane talks about Parrott in the same month where Liverpool released three Ireland underage internationals but Ireland’s record goalscorer insists that he has the right character to excel at the game’s top level.
“He has the mentality. I went over and met him at Tottenham and had lunch with him and I just wanted to have a chat to see where he was,” added the Ireland assistant.
“He definitely has the right temperament to be a top player and the manager thinks very highly of him but when the opportunity comes for him he has to take it.
“He needs to develop and continue to keep scoring goals. I know he got injured towards the end of the season but he needs to keep developing, keep watching, keep learning, keep listening.
“Speak to Harry Kane. Watch Harry Kane. Watch what he does. What his movement is like. As young kids, I used to do it myself, watch top players because you can learn a lot from that.”
As for Ireland’s current forwards, Keane has said that he’s been impressed with Sheffield United’s David McGoldrick but added that he’ll have to be prepared for less chances in the Premier League following the Blades promotion from the Championship.
“I’ve been impressed with the forwards. David McGoldrick has been unbelievable with the way he’s been playing. Naturally likes to come deep but he can play a bit higher and then start to drop deep but when he starts to play in the Premier League it’ll be a different ball game.
“You get one chance in the Premier League. You might get four or five chances in the Championship but in the Premier League you get one chance and you have to take it. He’s well aware of that.”
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