When Tottenham host Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday, they are likely to go up against one of their own.
Troy Parrott made his Spurs first debut under Jose Mourinho five years ago, aged just 17 years, 10 months and three days.
Though he made a host of appearances across a variety of competitions, he could only get into the starting XI for two Premier League fixtures in his five years in North London.
Last year, he took to the Dutch top flight extremely quickly, with a 17-goal season on loan at Excelsior Rotterdam that wasn’t enough to save the struggling club from relegation, but earned the Irish forward a permanent deal at AZ.
And ahead of his return to an old stomping ground, he was full of positive words for Spurs despite his time there resulting in eventual departure.
He told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf: “Spurs is such a big club.
“I was given a few chances to play for them and I’m proud of that.
“Spurs is a good club, they have always taken good care of me. They want to develop young players and deliver them to the first team.
“That’s incredibly difficult, because the club is in the top 5 of the Premier League. I actually have nothing bad to say about the club.
“It wasn’t meant to be that I broke through there. Now my own journey has begun. I’m on my own journey.”
On the match against his former employers, Parrott is well aware he and his current side are the underdogs.
“Look, there are a few world-class players there, it’s not going to be easy,” he explained.
“But for me and my fellow players it’s an exciting and beautiful evening.
“It’s an opportunity to show what we can do against such a big team.”
