Carrying the weight of expectation as a young footballer can never be easy. Everyone in your circle expects you to succeed in the game, even if the odds are stacked against doing so. That pressure is only amplified when there is an entire nation watching your every move.
Troy Parrott has long been seen as the next potential superstar in Irish football. He first came into the public consciousness while he was still in his mid-teens and hasn't left it since.
Attempting to come through at a club like Tottenham Hotspur, the road to becoming a top level professional player was always going to be a bumpy one. The Dubliner has had his struggles along the way, but his recent loan spell at MK Dons suggests that he may be travelling in the right direction once again.
His time in Milton Keynes came to an end earlier this month, with Parrott scoring as the club bowed out in the League One play-offs. The 20-year old soon took to social media to thank everyone that helped him during his time at the club.
He will now move on to the next step in his career, but how did his time at MK Dons go? What struggles did he have along way? Is he now once again on course to go to the very top of the game?
Those questions don't necessarily have straightforward answers.
*****
I feel like he was given a wake-up call.
Troy Parrott entered his loan spell at MK Dons under no illusions that things would come easy for him in League One. After all, he had found the going tough at both Millwall and Ipswich Town last season. There were hopes that being another year older and wiser, the forward would hit the ground running on this occasion.
That wasn't really the case.
While he showed some promise in pre-season, Parrott's first half of the season left a lot to be desired. There were questions about his attitude at times, while he also seemed to struggle with the physicality of the division.
One particularly poor moment seemed to be the turning point in his season.
After he was sent off for butting heads with a Leyton Orient player in injury time of their EFL Trophy clash, MK Dons boss publicly criticised the player's lack of discipline.
While this blunder in early December was a setback for Parrott, it also proved to be a catalyst for change.
Something just clicked for him after the turn of the year. The stroker looked more energetic, was working harder, and improved his overall game. In short, he looked completely rejuvenated.
"I feel like he was given a wake-up call," Toby Lock of the MK Citizen tells Balls.
"Whether that was from Spurs, Dons or simply a New Year's Resolution which he stuck to longer than the rest of us tend to, his season turned around when he was given more of an opportunity in January.
"Cardiff recalling Max Watters left Dons short in attack, and that opportunity was left at Troy's door to either take it and run with it, or risk it being wasted. Let's not forget - he's still only a kid! But he got the sense that everyone was pulling for him, certainly the fans wanted him to get back to his best again and the more support he got, the better he played.
"His first goals in several months against Cheltenham were up there as the most popular of the season. And that AFC Wimbledon volley could not have come against better opposition for the MK army.
It was certainly difficult not to have your attention grabbed by some of those goals. Parrott may not have quite hit the numbers that he would have hoped for this season, but many of the occasions he did find the back of the net came via rather spectacular methods.
Your Goal of the Season from Troy Parrott 👇 pic.twitter.com/d9ZiyHDP8o
— Milton Keynes Dons (@MKDonsFC) May 1, 2022
Troy Parrott for MK Dons! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ecOf2NRuf8
— The Spurs Web (@thespursweb) May 8, 2022
Liam Manning was certainly impressed with the player's progress in the second half of the campaign, describing how committing to more well-rounded game has been key for his development.
"Troy’s worked so hard recently and it’s great to see him get the goals tonight," the MK Dons boss said recently.
"The consistent message from me and the staff has been ‘keep doing what you’re doing’.
"Of course he wants to score goals, he wants to contribute to the team from that aspect, but it’s so much more than that.
"If you look at our front players, they set the tone defensively for us and he’s been outstanding at that."
On a personal level, the end of the season probably came at an inopportune time for Parrott. He had found his touch in front of goal and only seemed to be getting going at senior level for the first time in his career.
After a short break, his attention will now turn firmly to Ireland's UEFA Nations League fixtures in the days ahead. Considering his form over the last few months, we can expect to see him feature quite a bit over the four games.
However, his future seems less certain once we get beyond that point.
Parrott would have hoped that he would be knocking on the door of the Spurs first team by this point in his career, although that seems rather unlikely at the moment. Antonio Conte will want to spend money this summer and is unlikely to grant many opportunities to a youngster who is untested at the top level.
In a piece in The Athletic a couple of months ago, it was suggested that Parrott was no longer viewed as a first team prospect by many at Spurs. There has been no contact with Conte since his appointment and there is an expectation that he will have to make a career for himself elsewhere.
That is a big change from their view of the player a couple of years ago, although it could once again be altered if the Dubliner continues to improve at the rate we have seen over the last few months.
His next move will certainly be a key one.
Despite still being a teenager at the time, it is clear that Parrott's career path was altered by his struggles at Millwall and Ipswich Town. After getting his mojo back, he can't afford another failed loan move next season.
Where that comes remains to be seen. There are sure to be a number of clubs in the Championship interested in his services and that seems like the most obvious move. The player himself may also want to prove himself in the division having previously struggled at The Den.
However, a loan to the continent should certainly be considered if it is on the table. While he has developed physically over the last 12 months or so, Parrott would still find the rough and tumble nature of the English second flight as a big step up from what he experienced this season.
That is a part of his game that will grow further as he gets older. For now, he is someone who thrives when given freedom on the ball.
A temporary move to a top European league would certainly be an interesting one. We have seen Josh Cullen come on in leaps and bounds since his transfer to Anderlecht and there is no reason why Parrott could not go down a similar route.
On the behalf of Spurs, they have shown a willingness to send their players abroad in order to aid their development. Highly rated prospects such as Marcus Edwards and Ryan Sessegnon have spent time in Europe in recent seasons.
Regardless of where the Irishman's next move is to, playing time has to be the priority. Plenty of minutes at club level will be needed if he is to push for a more permanent place in Stephen Kenny's Ireland team. His opportunities at that level have been limited, but he has largely impressed when given the chance to play.
Next season will see the team compete in a mix of UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024 qualifiers, meaning there will be very few meaningless games. Places in the team will not be handed out easily, although Parrott has positioned himself well for what is to come. If the club form is there, he will not be lacking in opportunities.
A run in the Ireland team would be another string in his bow when it comes to his development in senior football.
*****
I just realised I couldn’t sit around and let it go by.
If Parrott has learned anything over the last couple of years, it's that nothing is guaranteed in football. Up to that point in his life, he had been the standout player at every level at which he had featured.
His transition to men's football has been a wakeup call, something that only really clicked over the last six months or so. This is something the player himself admitted in March.
"I just realised I couldn’t sit around and let it go by. I needed to make every time I was on the pitch count, and give it 110% every game," he said after scoring against Lithuania.
"Ultimately, you get one shot at it, and I want to be a footballer. I want to play at a high level, and I realised that I couldn’t just let it go by."
The hype around Troy Parrott has been lowered somewhat, but that may be no bad thing. While any footballer will tell you they attempt to block out that noise, that can be easier said than done.
While his star is no longer in the ascent in the manner that it once was in the eyes of many, the last two seasons will stand to him in the long run. Don't forget, he's still only 20-years old.
His confidence his back. A couple of good career decisions and some luck will be needed along the way, but don't sleep on Troy Parrott.
If everything else in his life is right, we know that his talent can take him right to the top.
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