Analysis: Think Troy Parrott is struggling at Preston? Think again

Gavin Cooney

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When Troy Parrott first went on loan from Tottenham, to Millwall, the Spurs’ press folk insisted on a rule during interviews: no questions about Harry Kane. Millwall was one of Kane’s loan clubs before he scored against Shamrock Rovers for Spurs and never looked back, and the club were keen to avoid further comparisons to heap further pressure on a teenage Parrott. 

The loan move didn’t work out for Parrott, and nor did the next one, to Ipswich Town. Things clicked for him at League One MK Dons last season, however, and though they missed out on promotion to the Championship, Parrott made the step-up anyway by going on loan to Preston North End. He made that move with the ink fresh on a contract extension at Tottenham, a sign of the club’s renewed faith in him. 

If you were to take a glance at the Championship table and the scoring charts after five games of the season, you’d assume that Parrott is struggling once again in England’s second-tier. Preston are ensconced in mid-table, having won a game 1-0 and drawn the other four 0-0. Parrott has started all five games, and has yet to score. (Though did score once in a 4-1 League Cup win over Huddersfield.) 

Take a closer look, though, and the reality is Parrott is not really struggling at all….

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