Troy Parrott insists he will take any criticism of his game on the chin even after learning from some of the greats.
The Ireland youngster is back in action for loan club Preston North End after suffering a freak hamstring injury in October while celebrating a match-winning goal.
Parrott, 20, came off the bench in Saturday’s Championship win over Birmingham City and also in the defeat to Norwich City the previous week.
His timely return is good news for Ireland boss Stephen Kenny ahead of the March friendly with Latvia and the crunch Euro 2024 qualifying opener against France.
But his progress after that injury setback will be briefly halted this weekend as Preston face Tottenham in the FA Cup.
Parrott will have to look on from the Deepdale stands as he is not allowed to face his parent club and said: “I was a bit gutted that I can't play.
“All I need now is game time and minutes and stuff, so to miss out on another week of football is not ideal. It is what it is."
England star Harry Kane and Son Heung-min could feature in that fourth round clash and Parrott admits he has learned a lot from the Spurs duo
But the Dubliner, who has featured in Premier League, Cup and pre-season games for Spurs, said it’s not as simple as just trying to replicate their style in his performances.
Parrott said: “It’s not exactly as easy as that, where you take a look at someone and just add it into your own game straight away.
“It’s more the consistency of doing stuff like them - like the consistency of finishing, being in the gym, the professionalism and working on your game every day.
“That’s what I take away from it and (knowing) that it’s not going to happen overnight but to keep chipping away at it and add some of that stuff to my game.”
Parrot, speaking to Preston’s in-house TV, continued: “I’m always open to whatever people say to me about my game.
“I’ll take it on the chin if it’s not the best piece of news that I’ve ever heard, but I just want to keep adding to my game and ultimately get better.”
Parrott, who has scored twice in 17 club appearances this season, is hoping for a strong second-half of the season now that his fitness issues are behind him.
He suffered the hamstring injury scoring the winner against Norwich on October 8 and had to sit out Ireland’s friendly double header against Norway and Malta in November.
But Parrott claims to feel stronger now than he did before that injury as he targets a run of goals ahead of Ireland’s European qualifying campaign.
“I’ve been in a really good mindset to be fair,” he said. “ I just want to kick on with the season and start scoring some goals.
“I feel like I've come back better, I've come back stronger than I was even before I was injured, so (hopefully I can have) a big second half to the season.
"I feel sharp, I feel strong. There's nothing in the back of my mind thinking about the injury. It's gone to me.
"I'm just ready to get back going now, get back on the pitch, take some chances, score some goals and be back out there with the boys getting good results.
“It has been a long three months and tough as well, mentally and physically, so to be back out there and touching a ball again, I'm happy.
“It was tough every day having to go to the gym on my own, and finishing late. But now that I think about it, and I'm back training, it was all worth it."
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