Pochettino keeps Troy Parrott out of Ireland U19 Euros for preseason prep

Troy Parrott probably isn’t a big part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first team plans this season, but it sure looks like he’ll be given a chance to impress in preseason. According to the Irish Independent, Parrott, 17, has been denied the opportunity to play in this summer’s U19 European Championships with home country Ireland by Tottenham Hotspur, because Pochettino wants him involved with Spurs’ preseason preparations.

Why is that significant? Well, Tottenham leave next Wednesday to travel overseas to Asia for the International Champions Cup, which suggests that there is quite possibly a seat on the plane for him. That’s pretty exciting! Parrott is one of the brightest stars currently in Spurs’ academy, and has been compared to a young Robbie Keane.

The International Champions Cup is the first opportunity to watch the 2019-20 Spurs team play real actual football since the Champions League final in June, but while it’s mostly just dumb friendly matches for fitness purposes, it’s also a real opportunity for younger players to make a statement and impress the boss. Last year’s ICC saw Luke Amos get plenty of minutes at central midfield, as did Oliver Skipp, and players such as George Marsh, TJ Eyoma, and Anthony Georgiou. It would be super neat if we got to see Party Parrott get some real football minutes against actual adults while in Asia.

We’ll learn more about who exactly Pochettino will bring to Asia either at the end of this week or the beginning of next. I would expect a few of Spurs’ superstars may be given extra rest and later reporting times, but we don’t know for sure. My guess is we’ll definitely get our first look at Tanguy Ndombele in a Spurs kit, though.

Spurs’ first match (with or without Parrott) will be against Juventus on Saturday, July 21 at the National Stadium in Singapore. Kick-off is 7:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. UK.