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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Paul O'Hehir

Troy Parrott seals Preston loan and Tottenham contract extension

Troy Parrott gave Preston North End the thumbs up after a seal of approval from Ireland team-mates Robbie Brady and Alan Browne.

And his new manager Ryan Lowe has revealed how he wanted to sign Parrott as soon as he saw him rip Scotland to shreds last month.

The young striker has completed his move to the Championship club on a season-long loan from Tottenham.

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And Parrott also got a major confidence boost from his parent club by signing a new contract with the Premier League giants until 2025.

This is Parrott’s fourth loan spell away from Tottenham having spent last season at MK Dons - where he scored 10 goals - and Ipswich Town and Millwall before that.

Parrott, 20, had been part of Antonio Conte’s pre-season plans in recent weeks and was on tour in Asia with the Tottenham first-team.

He is still highly regarded and the new Spurs contract is evidence of that.

But Parrott sealed his switch to North End today ahead of Saturday’s opening game of the Championship season against Wigan Athletic.

And the Republic of Ireland star said: “I’m buzzing to get going, to come in and see the place, meet the lads and get going really.

“I spoke to the manager first of all.

“I like the sound of how the team wants to play, they want to create a lot of chances which for me is a no brainer really, and obviously the Irish boys here also helps.

“I’ve been speaking to Browney [Alan Browne] and Robbie [Brady] and asking what it’s like around the place and they’ve had nothing but good things to say, so I’m happy.”

Michael Obafemi celebrates his goal with Troy Parrott (©INPHO/James Crombie)

Preston boss Lowe saw Parrott strike fear into Scotland in last month’s Nations League win at Aviva Stadium.

The Dubliner set-up Michael Obafemi with an outrageous assist before the Swansea City ace returned the favour for Parrott to score himself.

And Lowe said: “Troy’s one I’ve monitored for some time; he had a fantastic season last year for MK Dons.

“I watched him play for Ireland against Scotland in the summer when he scored a fantastic goal in the Nations League.

“His work ethic is fantastic, his hold-up play is very good for the style he is, but ultimately we want Troy to score goals for us.”

Parrott was also heavily linked with Sunderland, Middlesbrough and QPR and Lowe added:“We’ve beaten some fantastic competition to get him.

“I think we sold it to him with the style of play, the identity and what we want to achieve, and probably a little bit of help from a few of the Irish boys as well.

“I’m really pleased to get him on board, he’s going to be a fantastic addition.”

Troy Parrott (©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

Speaking after the Scotland game in Dublin last month, Parrott spoke about the value of going on loan.

He admits the Millwall and Ipswich experiences were disappointing but feels he has matured because of those opportunities and particularly so at MK Dons.

After that Aviva Stadium romp, Parrott said: “After two disappointing loans it’s fair to say that things are looking up for me and I’m on a bit of an upwards trajectory.

“(After the Scotland goal) I got a few messages from people at Tottenham saying ‘well done’. It’s always nice to get a goal in a big game like that, especially at the Aviva.

“It was my first competitive one too. But the most important thing is getting into the right areas to score goals.

“That’s better than standing on the edge of the box waiting for things to fall. It’s about getting in there to see what happens.

“I just need to keep that going, keep improving and keep giving it my all. Going on loan is for playing men’s football and realising what you have to do throughout a game.

“And I think that I have matured a lot over the three loans that I’ve had and I’m just happy that it’s starting to click.”

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