Jose Mourinho has again lamented the fact that Troy Parrott is not yet ready for the leap to first-team football after the 18-year-old attacker was given a 24-minute cameo in the FA Cup.
Speaking to press via The Metro following Tottenham’s cup exit to Norwich City, the Portuguese manager again hit home that Parrott needs to put in the work if he is to gain more first-team minutes with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son both out with long-term injuries, leaving a vacant centre-forward spot in the Spurs starting XI.
Fans and pundits have been calling out for Mourinho to bite the bullet and hand Parrott a run in the first-team with the teenager the only natural striker in the Tottenham squad, but, a missed penalty in the shootout against Norwich has done little to help the youngster’s case, and the Spurs boss knows the Irishman has plenty to do before being a regular in the XI.
Should Spurs persevere with Troy Parrott?YesNo |
Mourinho said when asked about Parrott: “He was so confident, he wanted to take one, he wanted to take the responsibility, it’s an experience in his career. The problem is not his experience. The problem is the 30 minutes. Now people can see that he has to work a lot, so don’t think that Parrott is the second Harry Kane because he’s just a young kid that needs to work. Let’s forget the penalty because we all miss the penalties; it was not Troy.”
With only the Champions League and top-four to play for, Tottenham’s season continues to follow a downward spiral that not many would have predicted at the start of the season, and this latest update from Mourinho seemingly confirms that Parrott won’t play regular first-team football barring another injury crisis.
The Irish teenager’s potential has plenty of fans excited for all the right reasons, but, with Mourinho adamant that he isn’t ready for the Premier League, it might be some time before supporters get to see the 18-year-old in Tottenham white consistently.