Nathan Collins always believed Troy Parrott could shine on biggest stage

Nathan Collins always knew Troy Parrott had the potential to be a star as they grew up together in the Republic of Ireland ranks.

On Thursday evening in Prague, the 24-year-old AZ Alkmaar striker will attempt to fire his country one step closer to a first World Cup finals appearance since 2002 when they head into a play-off battle with the Czech Republic at the Fortuna Arena.

Parrott’s five-goal salvo in November – a double in a 2-0 home win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and all three, the last of them with the final kick of the game, in a 3-2 victory over Hungary in Budapest – extended a campaign which had looked to be dead and buried.

But his heroics came as no surprise to Brentford defender Collins.

Collins, 24, told a press conference: “I’ve played with Troy for many years now. He’s always been a really good footballer.

“In football, sometimes, it doesn’t click on the pitch. That doesn’t take away from being a good footballer, from understanding the game or knowing how good he is.

“There are loads of different variables and reasons as to why he might not be clicking at that time.

“But there has always been a footballer in Troy. I am so happy now that it is shining and showing how good he is.”

Parrott, who began his career at Tottenham but made only a handful of senior appearances during a spell which saw him loaned out to Millwall, Ipswich, MK Dons, Preston and Dutch club Excelsior before securing a £6.7 million switch to AZ in July 2024, has 33 goals to his name for club and country so far this season.

With fellow frontman Evan Ferguson currently recovering from ankle surgery, which would almost certainly rule him out of the finals, the pressure will be on the former Spurs marksman to continue his rich vein of