After highly impressing in the various age groups of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, hopes for the future of Troy Parrott amongst those in the know in north London were extremely high, writes the FootballFancast

It is not difficult to understand why this was the case. Over his 15 appearances for Spurs’ under-18s, the centre-forward bagged an incredibly impressive 17 goals, also hitting nine in nine for Tottenham’s under-19 side in European action and five in 14 for the under-23s.

This form led to comparisons with current Spurs striker Harry Kane, with it being reported last year that Tottenham’s backroom staff were trying to convince Daniely Levy not to block the Irishman’s pathway to first-team football due to their faith in his ability.

However, whether or not the £3.24m-rated youngster does indeed have the same level of potential as the England captain is very much up for debate. Over two loan spells at Milwall and Ipswich Town respectively, the 20-year-old hardly took either club by storm, failing to score in 14 outings for the Lions and bagging just twice in 18 fixtures with the Tractor Boys.

Things have improved for the forward somewhat this season, with the £7k-per-week hitman beginning to find his feet over 34 League One appearances at MK Dons. He has scored five goals, registered five assists and created four big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 2.2 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

On Tuesday night, he also had the pleasure of scoring a dramatic late goal in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 friendly win over Lithuania, with the youngster’s 97th-minute rocket giving his team victory.

The Spurs academy graduate has not only improved his reputation on the pitch at Stadium MK, but also off it, with Republic of Ireland assistant manager Keith Andrews stating of Parrott’s work ethic: “Troy has been flying in training. There has been a real noticeable difference, I would say, in Troy between this and the last camp. You sometimes forget how young Troy is.

“I have a really good relationship with him. Up until a certain point in Troy’s career, he was just on that upward trajectory. And then there were a couple of loan moves but they are invaluable experiences.

“Even at MK Dons during that spell when he was a little bit out of the team he pressed the reset button and just started to work hard. He has got his reward for that from his club manager and what we have seen this week. He has been really, really sharp. We have a lot of belief in him.”