Mauricio Pochettino has blocked 17-year-old striker Troy Parrott from going to the U19 Euros with Republic of Ireland, as reported by the Irish Independent.
Spurs have been looking for a second choice striker – with Mariano Diaz among the latest to be linked – but it is proving difficult to attract anyone with great quality.
It is understandable, as any striker who comes to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium knows they are only starting meaningful games if Harry Kane is unavailable.
This arguably makes joining Spurs a step backwards for any striker who has a genuine chance of starting at a high level, even if they are at a lesser team.
Therefore, the best option could be to look from within and right now Troy Parrott seems to be the option standing out – with Pochettino’s decision to keep him back highlighting he sees something in him.
This means he is likely to be part of the squad who travel to Asia for the International Cup. There have been a number of youngsters, including Oliver Skipp last season, who have been given a chance to shine during preseason – Parrott could be the next.
Pochettino has shown numerous times that he is capable of helping a young player become someone who can help the first team.
Nevertheless, it would be a risk to entrust a 17-year-old to be Kane’s back up, but providing Spurs’ star man doesn’t get injured, it would be a great opportunity to blood Parrott into the side – getting him used to adult football with substitute appearances and cup games while directly learning from the England captain.
He will need to perform well this preseason if there is any chance of that scenario happening, but if he does, Spurs could have just saved themselves money in the transfer window while sorting out the backup striker situation.