Troy Parrott has revealed how a self-imposed wake-up call got him back on track in time to face the world’s top-ranked team.
The Tottenham striker - on loan at MK Dons - is part of Stephen Kenny’s squad that is busy preparing for Saturday’s friendly with Belgium at Aviva Stadium.
The Boys in Green also host Lithuania at the Dublin 4 venue on Tuesday with Parrott keen to build on his two goals in 10 appearances.
The 20-year-old is back catching the eye with his performances at the League One Dons after admitting that his mid-season form wobbled.
But that was the reality check the Dubliner needed as the club continues to push for automatic Championship promotion.
Parrott said: “It came at a time when I was in and out of the team. I just realised that, ultimately, you get one shot at this football game.
“Where I was at the time wasn’t helping me get to where I wanted to get to and I realised I needed to do more.
“It was just something in myself. I didn’t need to change anything off the pitch.
“I was living how I should have been. I’ve my family around, which is good for me, so most of it was just on the pitch stuff.
“Working hard for the team is what kept me in the team for a lot of those games. The goals and the assists will come if I keep giving it 110%.”
MK Dons boss Liam Manning recently hailed Parrott’s maturity for refocusing on his career priorities.
And the striker - who has scored two goals in his last three games and six for the season - added: “I saw he said that and I agree with it.
“It’s just realising some stuff and growing up as a person and as a player.
“I can only see ways I can improve when I’m playing as many games as I have, and learning the trade.
“I want to keep improving and go back there (Tottenham) and be the best I can be.”
This is Parrott’s third loan spell away from the Premier League club having had a disappointing stint at Millwall before a better one at Ipswich Town last season.
His Tottenham contract expires in the summer of 2023 but Parrott believes he can still have a future with Antonio Conte’s side.
Parrott said: “The loan is up at the end of the season and I’ve been speaking to some people back at Tottenham.
“(Breaking into the Spurs team) has been my ambition since I came over as a kid and I still feel the same way now.
“I’m playing a lot of games and gathering as much experience as I can and hopefully it will do me the world of good when I get back.
“I’ll go back to Tottenham to see what’s there for me and figure something out.
“I’ve done the last couple of pre-seasons at Spurs so it’s just about picking up little things.
“I think the most important thing is how you train. You should train how you play and that’s one of the things I’ve picked up while I’ve been out on loan.
“I’ll try to give my best and be one of the best players in training when I get back.”
And Parrott added: “People go on loan to improve as a player and hope it develops them in the long run.
“Seeing what League One and the Championship are like has been really good. I thought the levels would be a lot different, but it turns out they’re not.
“The Championship is a really tough league and so is League One, but I’m just happy I was out getting game time.”
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