Troy Parrott insists he has no intention of leaving AZ Alkmaar in January, with the Republic of Ireland star fully focused on getting past Shelbourne at AFAS Stadion in the Conference League tomorrow night.
It'll be a special evening for Parrott, who grew up supporting Shamrock Rovers but admits he's relishing the chance to go up against Shels, reminiscing about a childhood spent not all that far from Tolka Park.
The Dubliner is only coming back down to earth after his sensational hat-trick against Hungary in Budapest that sent the Boys in Green into the World Cup play-offs. That treble came after he fired in a brace against Portugal, with the 23-year-old's stock suddenly higher than ever.
The rumour mill is swirling that ex-Tottenham attacker Parrott could be lured back to the Premier League once the winter window opens, but he calmly shut that down during AZ's pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
"I'm really comfortable here, I'm really happy here," he said. "I feel I'm progressing really well and I really enjoy being here and playing here, so I'm fully focused on being here.
"AZ have helped me massively to keep developing, keep getting better. I just have to keep trusting that the work I'm putting in here and the help I'm getting is going to benefit me, and keep pushing to do well."
Reflecting on the aftermath of his Internet-breaking, stoppage-time winner against the Hungarians, Parrott said: "It was probably the best week that I've had in my life. I've said that a few times now. It's still nice looking back on the moments we had. I've come back down to earth a little bit now, focused on being back here and trying to win the next few games.
"The reaction that us as a team can give the whole country, there's no words to describe it. It's a special feeling just for a football team doing well.
"We had a feeling that victories like that would have a big boost on the country, but I didn't know how big it was going to be. To see all the stuff from back home, I just kept watching the videos over and over again. It really was lovely to see.
Man of the moment Troy Parrott insists he has no intention of leaving AZ Alkmaar in January as he prepares to face Shelbourne in the Conference League tomorrow night #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/DuBrr7sUzA
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) November 26, 2025
"It gives us something to look forward to as well. It's been a few years since we've had really meaningful games that we can all look forward to and get ready for, so it's going to be a nice few months.
"We went maybe three, four, five years where we were kind of just in a space of winning a game here and there, not really making it to any qualifiers or any tournaments. It went to a stage where everyone kind of wrote us off.
"The fans didn't really have anything meaningful to look forward to with us as a team. To have two big victories in a row like that, everyone has seen the reaction it's had back home."
AZ Alkmaar need a win against Shels to give their European chances a shot in the arm. The Eredivisie side are 27th in the 36-team league, with the top 24 securing knockout stage football.
It's probably win or bust too for Joey O'Brien's Reds who are 30th with one point from the their three games.
For Parrott, it will be a significant affair - several family members will be flying over to watch it.
"It's really nice," he added. "This is the first time I'm going to play against someone from my home town so it's exciting.
"They're a hard-working team, I think all Irish teams are. It's a club that's really close to my home back in Dublin.
"I wouldn't say I'm still a Shamrock Rovers fan. I was when I was younger. But yeah I grew up really close to Shelbourne's stadium and I also know some guys from there so it's going to be nice to see some familiar faces."
