Troy Parrott: Republic of Ireland striker says trying to live up to hype ‘got to me’

Parrott was signed by AZ Alkmaar in July after a season-long loan stint at Excelsior, who were relegated from the Eredivisie in June despite the Dubliner’s goalscoring exploits.

He quickly made an impression for AZ, netting four in a 9-1 demolition of Heerenveen last month before scoring a match-winning penalty against Elfsborg in the Europa League.

“To be away, it’s not necessarily being out of the spotlight, it’s just a new experience for me that I’m really enjoying,” said Parrott.

“For me to be enjoying my football is the most important thing and it’s one of the reasons why I’ve managed to do well up to now.”

Parrott, who made his senior international debut in 2019, scored a late winner in the Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Hungary in June.

And while that came hot on the heels of a prolific end to last season with Excelsior, he was left on the bench by new boss Heimir Hallgrimsson during last month’s defeats by England and Greece.

Parrott admits that was “disappointing” but added he is not going to “sit around and cry about” it as he looks to make an impact against Finland and Greece over the next week.

“If I get the chance to play I’m going to feel like I’m ready and like I can make an impact on the game,” he said.

“I can see why the team feels low on form because of the previous results but it’s on all of us to turn that around.”