Mick McCarthy has confirmed that Troy Parrott will make his Republic of Ireland debut in their friendly against New Zealand in Dublin on Thursday.
The Ireland boss revealed that the Tottenham striker would be named in the senior squad for the first time last Thursday and confirmed this morning that Parrott will start the game at the Aviva Stadium.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, McCarthy said: “I’ve seen a bright, very intelligent footballer who is very good with the ball at his feet.
“He did some really good things yesterday. I think he found it tough enough. We had a tough session. They hadn’t done anything at the weekend so it was a pretty intense one.
“He enjoyed it and he’s very capable, there’s no doubt about that.”
Parrott has been in excellent form for both club and country recently and was rewarded for his four-goal display against Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Youth League be being named on the Spurs bench for their 1-1 draw with Everton in the Premier League, although he was an unused substitute.
If the 17-year-old impresses against the Kiwis, he could play himself into contention for Ireland’s must-win EURO 2020 qualifier against Denmark on Sunday, but McCarthy doesn’t want to think like that.
“It’s hypothetical really isn’t it, and I don’t talk hypothetically, he said. “Let’s hope he does it. Let’s hope he gets the goals and plays really well.
“You know if he scores two goals and plays really well I might have a clamour in my own head to include him in the game as well so fingers crossed he does that.”
