1 hour ago
21
Troy Parrott has said something interesting about his experience at Tottenham after reaching a career high with a hat-trick against Hungary.
The Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate has almost single-handedly fired the Republic of Ireland into the World Cup playoffs during the current international break.
Parrott scored a brace against Portugal to help Ireland win 2-0 in Dublin last week, and the former Spurs man followed that up with a hat-trick at Budapest as the Irish completed a dramatic 3-2 turnaround against Hungary.
The 23-year-old has also made a brilliant start to the season at club level, scoring 13 in 14 matches for AZ Alkmaar, with the centre-forward finally showing why many thought so highly of him at Hotspur Way.
Troy Parrott admits Tottenham failure made him stronger
The striker has not had an easy journey to the top, struggling to get game time at Tottenham and having some difficult spells out on loan in the Championship.
Parrott has now admitted that those experiences in North London have made him mentally stronger and suggested that he now finally feels ‘appreciated’.
The AZ striker said following his hat-trick against Hungary (via BBC Sport): “Part of the celebrations last night was that up to this point in my career it hasn’t been so easy. I’ve had to take risks in moving to different places. I’ve failed, got back up. Failed again and then got back up. Who is to say I’m not going to fail again?
“I feel the tough road I have had definitely played a part in last night. Moving to the Netherlands gave me a sense of being wanted, I felt appreciated and sometimes for a player, that’s all they need.
“I know playing in England didn’t go so well, and believe me, I really beat myself about it at the time. So when it came to thinking about moving away, I thought: ‘What is the worst that can happen?’ And I really love it, I feel appreciated, I feel out of the spotlight, which I never had for a few years.”
Parrott admits he had tears of joy
The striker’s goals have put him firmly in the limelight, with some Premier League clubs now thought to be exploring a move for him in January.
However, his club future is the last thing on Parrott’s mind at the moment, with the former Spurs man admitting that he is still basking in the glow of what he and his Ireland teammates achieved.
He added: “How many times have I watched it back? Probably about 500 times – every time I go on to my phone, it’s there. Even last night when I got to bed, I couldn’t sleep, imagining it over and over and over again.
“In general, I’m not really an emotional person; it’s the first time I’ve cried in years. Look, I can sit here and try to describe it, but it is the first time I’ve felt something like that.
“I’ve scored goals before, but none as meaningful as my last one against Hungary. As a country, we’ve had a lot of disappointing results and haven’t given the fans a lot to cheer about, so this was tears of joy.”
Have something to tell us about this article?
English (US) ·