Troy Parrott shows he still has the makings of a star

Parrott's career trajectory has not taken the course we had expected, but he still has time on his hands

29 March 2022; Troy Parrott of Republic of Ireland, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's winning goal during the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Lithuania at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

Memories of Troy Parrott’s two goals in Kalmar in 2019 couldn’t help but bubble back to the surface early yesterday evening as another Republic of Ireland U21 team went about claiming a crucial two-goal win in Sweden.

Stephen Kenny was still in charge of the kids back in September of 2019 when they won 3-1 in Scandinavia. Five of that first XI – Caoimhin Kelleher, Dara O’Shea, Jayson Molumby, Aaron Connolly and Parrott – have since made their senior debuts but the leading man didn’t appear on screen until the 52nd-minute that night.