Parrott confident of stepping up

Troy Parrott admits he thrives on scoring goals as he prepares to make his senior international debut for the Republic of Ireland.

The 17-year-old Tottenham striker has been prolific at underage levels for his country and has been elevated to Mick McCarthy’s squad after finding the back of the net three times in as many appearances for the U21s.

McCarthy has named Parrott in his team for Thursday night’s friendly against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, and when asked if a debut goal was on the cards, the striker told FAI TV: “I’m not planning on stopping now.

“For me, it’s about scoring goals. That’s all I want to do, to be honest. It stands out when people look at it and say, ‘he scored another goal’ or ‘he scored and got an assist’.

Parrott’s form for club and country this season has earned him his first senior Rep Ireland cap

“If someone can score, then I think it helps to go up the levels quicker and then obviously when I went to the 21s, I scored for them again on my debut, so it was good.”

Parrott joined up with the rest of the squad on Sunday and has trained under the watchful eye of assistant manager Robbie Keane, another Dubliner who knew where the goal was.

Keane scored 68 international goals in 146 appearances for Ireland and the Spurs frontman is hungry to learn all he can from one of his predecessors.

Parrott said of Keane: “He was a top, top player, so it’s good to have people like that in and around – and obviously we play in the same position – that I can learn from and take advice from and just listen in and try to tap into his knowledge.”

McCarthy said Parrott, 19-year-old Celtic full-back Lee O’Connor and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Jack Byrne would start against the All Whites at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday morning, and the Football Association of Ireland later confirmed the team via its official Twitter account.

Manchester United goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara, currently on loan at Burton, will also start in front of a back four comprising O’Connor, Ciaran Clark, Kevin Long and Derrick Williams.

Byrne will be joined in midfield by Josh Cullen and Alan Browne with Robbie Brady and Sean Maguire providing the support for Parrott.