Why Tottenham fans will see a lot more of Troy Parrott under Jose Mourinho

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Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP9 December 2019

Jose Mourinho is set to give Spurs teenager Troy Parrott more first-team opportunities in a bid to convince the striker his long-term future is at the club.

Parrott, 17, made his Premier League debut from the bench in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Burnley and is pushing for more minutes in Wednesday’s Champions League dead-rubber at Bayern Munich, with Mourinho saying Harry Kane will be rested for the trip.

Parrott will have 18 months remaining on his contract in January and he has attracted interest from German giants Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, who believe he could be the next Premier League youngster to make an impact in the Bundesliga.

Bayern chiefs Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli ­Hoeness were at Hotspur Way for the UEFA Youth League clash between the clubs in October and were said to have been impressed by Parrott. The teenager (above) is happy at Spurs but he has already made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland and wants assurances he will be given enough first-team playing time in the future to continue his development, particularly with Kane ahead of him in the pecking order.

Mourinho, who handed Parrott the match-ball at full-time on Saturday, has taken a shine to the Dubliner and assured him he has a big future in north London. After Saturday’s win, the Spurs manager said: “Sometimes [the match-ball] is for the guy who has his hat-trick, but I think it has a bigger meaning for a 17-year-old. Last week he was playing in the UEFA Youth League with kids of his age. Today he played in the Premier League. Amazing week for him.”

While Parrott will remain at Spurs next month, Mourinho is prepared to send a number of the club’s other promising young players out on loan, in a change from his predecessor’s policy. England Under-21 midfielder Oliver Skipp, 19, and 20-year-old defender Japhet Tanganga, who have both played for the first team this ­season, could be among the players to join other Premier League or Football League clubs in January.

Mauricio Pochettino blocked loans for Spurs’s best youngsters, believing it was more beneficial for them to continue their development by training under his staff. Harry Winks was the key beneficiary, but others, like Kyle Walker-Peters, who is also set to feature in Munich on Wednesday, earned limited game-time and arguably stagnated.

A Kane double, Son’s stunning solo effort, a Lucas Moura effort and a second goal in three matches for Moussa Sissoko helped Spurs thrash Burnley, but just as notable as their attacking was a first clean sheet under Mourinho.

Centre-half Toby Alderweireld says Spurs were more intelligent with their pressing against the Clarets and believes they will improve defensively when they have more time to work with Mourinho on the training ground.

“The amount of games is unbelievable, so there is no time to work,” he said. “But when there is a little bit of time

we try to — and then you see some things coming back.

Thrown on: Parrott made a cameo appearance in Tottenham's 5-0 win over Burnley
AFP via Getty Images

“We have to be tactical. People think about defensive process. It’s not only the goalkeeper, the centre-backs or the full-backs. It’s a team process. So, it starts with the goalkeeper, it works as a team.

“Sometimes we want to press and not everyone is doing their job — and then the pressure comes on the defence. We didn’t press all the time on Saturday. Sometimes we played compact, but there was a high line, so I think we did well there.”

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