Troy Parrott has lauded Dele Alli in an interview with The Athletic for the way he helped the striker when he first started working with the first-team at Tottenham Hotspur.
Parrott has had an interesting time since arriving at Spurs in 2017. He is currently on loan at MK Dons. And in truth, it does appear that Dane Scarlett may have a better chance of stepping up from the academy and becoming a first-team regular.
But the hopes have been high for the Republic of Ireland international. In fact, in the 2019/20 season, it is probably fair to say that Parrott was second in the pecking order when it came to natural strikers in the Tottenham squad.
He ultimately made four appearances for the side that season. Of course, that was the campaign after Tottenham had reached the Champions League final. So it may have been a daunting proposition to step up to the first-team.
But Parrott has lauded many of the senior players for helping him make that transition. In particular, Dele went further than most to make him feel welcome.
“Ben Davies is good as well, and Dele Alli is a really close friend. He’s also one that helped me when I went up into the first team, just as someone I could talk to. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, and he was really good with that. If I was standing on my own he’d come and talk to me,” he told The Athletic.
Troy Parrott doing all he can to battle for Tottenham future
It had unfortunately appeared that Parrott’s chance of making the grade at Spurs had passed him by. He failed to score during a loan spell with Millwall in 2020, and fared little better at the level below with Ipswich Town.
But the spell at MK Dons could be a game-changer for the 20-year-old. He has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in League One. And with one game remaining, automatic-promotion is a possibility.
Obviously, it is too soon to say that Parrott should be back in the Tottenham fold. But he is showing that he is ready for the next step.
And should he thrive in the Championship next year – if that is where he ends up – perhaps more and more supporters will be suggesting that there may be reason to give Parrott another opportunity at Tottenham.