Parrott strengthened by Mourinho saying 'he's not ready'

Tottenham forward Troy Parrott says he had to swallow it all up when Jose Mourinho told him he wasn’t ready for first team football.

Troy Parrott had to man up and not let Mourinho’s words get the better of him.

During the just concluded season, Spurs had a crisis upfront at one point.

Harry Kane was out injured and Son Heung-min soon joined him on the treatment table.

With that reality, many Spurs fans called on Mourinho to deploy 18-year-old Troy Parrot upfront.

The teenager had impressed for Spurs at youth level and also got a call-up with Ireland.

Mourinho is never one to mince his words and he was pretty direct about the youngster. The Spurs boss was quoted as saying at the time.

“He’s not ready,” Mourinho said in March as per Evening Standard. “He’s a good kid we want to help, not only on the pitch but off it. He’s a kid who’s going to have a real opportunity but when we decide it’s right.”

Parrott went on to make only two Premier League appearances for Spurs totaling a grand 14 minutes.

The youngster has now joined Millwall on a season-long loan and says he has no issues with Mourinho’s comments about him.

“No. To be fair, he’s such an experienced manager and he’s done nearly everything in the game, so if he feels like that’s right then there must be some truth in it and I had to take it on the chin.” Parrott said to NewsAtDen.

“I knew I just had to keep my head down in training and keep working hard. And getting this loan now is hopefully going to help me improve and push on.”

“There were little conversations that were being had [at Spurs]. I was speaking to coaching staff and players finding out what I needed to do to be better. Because obviously Mourinho has worked with some of the best strikers there’s ever been. To get advice off him was great.”

“I knew what I needed to do. It was helpful advice.”