Positive Parrott insists he and Obafemi can be birds of a feather in green

Final Nations League double-header in September already on striker's radar as he looks to link up with Swansea frontman again

Instant chemistry: Republic of Ireland's Michael Obafemi (left) celebrates with team-mate Troy Parrott after scoring their side's third goal of the game against Scotland. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire.

Troy Parrott has promised more from his partnership with Michael Obafemi after the pair of strikers rescued Ireland’s Uefa Nations League campaign.

Both forwards were tipped for stardom as Premier League teenage debutants but there’s every chance Parrott may emulate Obafemi by dropping down a tier to find stability.

In unison they invigorated an attack against Scotland last Saturday week evidently blunt in the previous pair of blanks against Armenia and Ukraine.

Injury robbed Obafemi the opportunity of continuing their alliance for the final element of the quadruple header – Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Ukraine in Poland – but September 24 against the Scots at Hampden has Parrott purring.

“It was our first time playing on the same pitch,” the Tottenham attacker said about the 3-0 Scotland scalp, in which Obafemi followed up his delicious assist for Parrott by firing a thunderbolt beyond Craig Gordon.

“In the U21 game against Italy back in 2019, Michael came on after I got sent off. Last week was like we’d played together so many times. For him to see the run that I made and the execution of the pass was lovely.

“I didn’t have to do much to assist him. I just laid the ball off for him and he did the rest. We felt happy on the pitch and we’re looking for each other all the time, in and out of possession. As a front two, we pressed really well.

“I didn’t know much about him growing up because he’s a little bit older than me. I saw him when he was at Southampton.

“Michael is a quality player and to click with him was unexpected in a way because we’d never played together.”
To complete their recovery from the two defeats by finishing second in the table, Ireland will likely need six points from the final double-header against Scotland and Armenia. They may also require the full complement to ensure a backdoor route into Euro 2024 through the playoffs if next year’s qualifiers don’t yield the necessary top-two finish.

“Scotland are a good team with some really good players so to do what we did against them in Dublin shows we’re a good group," insisted Parrott. “We want to win every game and play at tournaments as well as compete with the best teams. The mindset stays the same, so we’ll want to win both.” 

Where Parrott will be playing his club football when Ireland reassemble in the Autumn will be one of the curious Irish stories of the coming weeks. He’s due to a well-deserved rest after linking up with Ireland straight after helping MK Dons reach the League One playoffs.

Antonio Conte has yet to see Parrott in the flesh but the congratulations for his exploits on international duty flowed from Tottenham. As it stands, he’s headed back to his parent club for pre-season training but another destination – either on loan or permanently – beckons for the 20-year-old in the final year of his contract.

Jose Mourinho made his feelings known about Parrott’s work-in-progress status while in charge but the subsequent managerial turbulence has kept everyone guessing about their place in the pecking order. Even Conte’s future wasn’t assured until confirmation of a £150m capital injection in May.

“I can’t control what goes on there,” the Dubliner said about the hierarchy of his employers. “That’s out of my hands. All I can do is try to impress whoever is there and that’s what I fully intend doing when I go back there for pre-season.

“I’m not sure what’s going on about the future. I’ve just kept trying to play well for Ireland and I got a few messages from people saying: ‘well done’.

“It’s always nice to get a goal in a big game like Scotland, especially at the Aviva. It was my first competitive one too. 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.” 

Clearly, he’s entering crunch time at the best spell of his career. Reaching double-figures for MK Dons with that goal against Wycombe Wanderers was a contrast to the struggles he encountered during the two loans spanning the previous season at Millwall and Ipswich Town.

“After two disappointing loans, it is fair to say that things are looking up for me and I am on a bit of an upwards trajectory,” he added.

“I just need to keep that going, keep improving and keep giving it all. Going on loan is for playing men’s football and realising what you have to do throughout a game. I think I’ve matured a lot over the three loans that I’ve had and I’m just happy that it is starting to click.”