Pundit thinks Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has made a decision aimed at proving a point to Daniel Levy

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BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has speculated that Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho is “trying to prove a point” to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Tottenham are currently in the midst of an attacking crisis, with Son Heung-min joining Harry Kane on the sidelines after the South Korea international had to undergo surgery on an arm fracture.

Spurs currently have just Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn and Dele Alli as attacking players established in the first team, but academy striking sensation Troy Parrott is also able to be called upon.

The 18-year-old is very highly rated at Tottenham’s academy following his consistent goalscoring heroics at youth and reserve level, resulting in some senior game time this season.

Parrott has played five minutes in the Premier League against Burnley and also had a runout in the League Cup meeting with Colchester United.

However, Mourinho has made no secret of his reluctance to throw Parrott in at the deep end, declaring the teenager “not ready” for first-team action (Football London).

“Spurs are still short of strikers and I think manager Jose Mourinho is trying to prove a point to his chairman, Daniel Levy, by refusing to play teenager Troy Parrott,” Lawrenson wrote on BBC Sport.

“They have been flat in attack in their defeats by RB Leipzig and Chelsea in the past week, and they will need to find a spark from somewhere.”

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While Parrott is undoubtedly a talented young striker who has proven himself at youth level, the jump between age-group football and senior football is vast.

Mourinho, or if not him then his assistants, are working with Parrott day in, day out, and they will know better than anyone else whether the youngster is ready or not for first-team action.

Besides, what kind of point would there be to prove at this stage of the season, with the transfer window shut? Mourinho is paid to manage the first team and get results, why would he look to prove a point to the detriment of the team he’s only just signed up to manage?

Let’s say Parrott is thrown in at the deep end, performs badly simply because he’s not first-team ready – the team suffers, the youngster will come under criticism, and his confidence will be shredded – what good would that do to anyone?