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Troy Parrott's loan move to Dutch club Excelsior showing signs of being 'wise' choice - Paul Corry

Updated / Monday, 2 Oct 2023 22:07
Parrott endeared himself to Excelsior fans with the winner against neighbours Sparta Rotterdam
Parrott endeared himself to Excelsior fans with the winner against neighbours Sparta Rotterdam

Troy Parrott's loan move to Excelsior is proving a "wise" decision as the Republic of Ireland striker continues to show signs of thriving in the Netherlands, according to Paul Corry.

Parrott joined the Rotterdam club late this summer on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and has now scored two goals in his last two games in the Dutch Eredivisie.

The first of those came as a substitute against Heerenveen on 23 September before the 21-year-old netted a stoppage-time winner in a derby win over fellow Rotterdam side Sparta on Sunday.

Having endured ups and downs during previous loan spells at Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Preston North End, the move to the continent appears to be off on the right track.

Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast ahead of Ireland's recent Euro 2024 qualfiying defeat to the Netherlands, journalist Bart Vlietstra, who lives close to the club's base, had shared an insight into an organisation that may punch far below the weight of Rotterdam's leading side Feyenoord but harbours a "cosy", family-friendly environment that often gives a platform to young players.

And speaking on Monday's podcast, former Sheffield Wednesday, UCD and Shamrock Rovers midfielder Paul Corry opined that Excelsior is already proving the right place for Parrott to be at this stage of his career.

"I think getting him out of the UK was probably the right decision and getting him out of the limelight and maybe just going somewhere he can express himself a bit more," he said of the striker who was left out of the last Ireland squad in the wake of a pre-season injury.

"I thought he took his goal really well. I think he got himself into the position even better.

Paul Corry and Keith Treacy joined this week's podcast where they also discussed Andrew Moran and the Irish eligible Sam Szmodics which you can watch above.

"Nobody will really question Troy's natural ability on a football pitch. He's got a lot. I saw a lot of him at Belvedere and I saw a lot of him at Tottenham as well and he has so much to his game.

"It's just taken him a bit more time now to adjust into the senior men's set-up and adjusting maybe to the physicality of the game.

"But I think the move to Holland has been a wise one to be honest with you. I think, as I mentioned, getting out of London, getting out of the UK, it didn't really work out for him any of the loan moves that he had and this one seems like it will be a good fit.

"Particularly, if you think about the style of football that they play in Holland, it tends to be very technical, it's on the ground and it worked out very well for Jack Byrne (at SC Cambuur) and Troy's probably not too disimilar in the way that he wants to play the game.

"So it's great to see him back on the scoresheet, it's great to just see him playing games. It's so important in that period of your career that you play as many games as you possibly can and this seems like a really good opportunity for him.

"And if he was to find more goals, there could be a couple of teams lined up who might take a chance on Troy if he was maybe to get back into the Championship and become the out-and-out number nine. That will be really good for him.

"But it's about getting back to enjoying his football and scoring goals and on the basis of the last two weeks, it certainly seems that he's heading that way."

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