Troy Parrott comes of age as scoring rate betters Erling Haaland

October 27, 2025

It was almost six years ago when ex-Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho dampened the expectations of up-and-coming striker Troy Parrott.

Parrott, 17, had made his top-flight debut a month prior, and there was a genuine buzz of excitement over Ireland’s new prospect coming through the ranks.

The Portuguese boss publicly said Parrott “was not ready” for the first team before telling him to stop thinking he’s “too good” for the Under-23 side two months later.

How much of an adverse effect it had on the striker’s progression is unclear, but it’s been a slow burner since those comments.

Loan spells at Millwall, MK Dons, Preston and Excelsior followed as Parrott struggled to find a club he could call home. During those periods, he scored 33 goals in 145 appearances.

Consistency seems to be a word that has followed Parrott throughout the early stages of his career. MK Dons head coach Liam Manning spoke of the striker’s huge potential but said there was a need for consistent performances.

Now, at the age of 23, Parrott has seemingly finally come of age at AZ Alkmaar.

Troy Parrott can’t stop scoring

In his debut season for AZ Alkmaar last season, Parrott ended the campaign with 14 league goals.

This campaign, he has six in five matches, including another brace at the weekend, having made a return from injury that ruled him out for five games.

He’s backed up his form in European qualifiers with a further seven in five games.

In AZ’s 4-1 victory over Utrecht, Parrott’s two goals were of the highest quality. The first saw him show a blistering turn of pace to race through on goal before casually finding the bottom corner.

The second saw him play a first-time ball out wide and continue his run into the penalty box, showing intelligence, pace and intuition to bury from close range.

Parrott should have had a hat-trick after winning a penalty but saw his spot-kick saved in the second half.

He’s only not scored in one league game, when he returned from injury for a brief 20-minute cameo.

2 more goals for Troy Parrott today

That’s 13 goals in 11 matches this season

Unreal form pic.twitter.com/V97V6k0LP6

— IrishPropaganda⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) October 26, 2025

Goalscoring stats that better Erling Haaland

In the Eredivisie, Parrott’s strike ratio stands at a goal every 58 minutes, which is better than the prolific Erling Haaland.

The Manchester City striker is averaging a goal every 71 minutes in the Premier League after drawing a blank against Aston Villa on Sunday.

With a minimum of 300 minutes of league football, only Harry Kane is averaging a better scoring record than Parrott.

The England record goalscorer has scored 12 goals in eight games, meaning he is finding the net every 56 minutes on average.

In further comparisons, Kylian Mbappe is averaging a league goal every 80 minutes, Robert Lewandowski is 86 minutes, and Frankfurt’s Jonathan Burkadt averages 82 minutes.

If Parrott continues his rate of goals, it won’t be long before he is back in the Premier League, fulfilling the reputation that once preceded him.