Injuries to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were supposed to be the catalyst for 18-year-old Troy Parrott's Tottenham career getting off the ground. However, right now, things look bleaker than ever.
Touted as a potential star of the future, many Spurs fans wanted the Republic of Ireland international to play a more prominent role in the team following the injuries to their two key players, but he has come up against José Mourinho and his dislike of anyone under 30 years old.
Spurs managed to convince Parrott to sign a new contract in early February, but he has since been bashed frequently. First, there was a report from The Athletic that club officials are unconvinced by Parrott's attitude and mentality, and now Mourinho has continued to question the youngster.
He said (via football.london): "
"Why was he on the bench? He was on the bench because [Érik] Lamela told me before the game he was not even ready to go on the bench.
"So in that moment, without Lamela, we brought Troy in and in the last five minutes we put on a striker who at least knows the position so he could try to fix [Conor] Coady and at least try to give some more space and freedom to Dele [Alli]. That’s the way it is."
So, Parrott isn't ready to play, but he's ready to come off the bench and play in what could have been a pivotal five minutes. That's basically where we're at.
Parrott is only 18 years old and certainly should not expect a major role in the first team, but surely he should be getting a look-in when Spurs genuinely don't have any actual strikers in their squad right now.
You can't help but wonder if he would still have signed that three-year contract if he knew this was coming.
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Source : 90min