Tottenham Hotspur have found themselves in a tricky situation since Harry Kane’s hamstring injury in January, with the squad not possessing much depth in their striking options.
The Englishman has been out since New Year’s Day after picking up the injury against Southampton, with Jose Mourinho using various makeshift options up-top since. Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min have been utilised as number nines, but the side are clearly lacking a natural striker in the final third.
Due to such limited options, Tottenham fans have been calling to see their highly-rated youngster in Troy Parrott be given an opportunity. The 18-year-old made his senior debut in December, but has only featured once more since. Despite recently signing a new contract with the club, Mourinho has seemingly downplayed the teenager’s chances of getting more minutes.
As quoted by Sky Sports News, the Tottenham manager has taken a comical swipe at fans, stating: “This is a world where lots of people, they don’t even know if Troy has long hair or short hair. Or is blonde or is dark. They don’t even know that and speak about: Troy, Troy, Troy, Troy, he should play.”
Such comments are clearly to defend his decision to not rush Parrott into the first team picture, suggesting that the supporters don’t always have the answers when they can appear so obvious on paper. Instead, the Spurs manager is taking a patient approach with the striker.
He added: “Every time he was playing with the kids, he was playing with the mentality of, ‘I shouldn’t be here’ or ‘I am too good to be here’ or ‘It’s not here that I want to play’. And this is an educational process that comes.”
Going off Mourinho’s words, Tottenham fans won’t be expecting to see Parrott starting on a regular basis anytime soon. Instead, it appears that the upcoming star will continue to be used cautiously, even during the side’s injury crisis.