Ireland striker Troy Parrott believes there was an element of pressure involved in the early years of his football career as he sought to make it at Tottenham.
The 22-year-old is enjoying his second season in the Dutch Eredivisie, having moved from Spurs to AZ Alkmaar on a permanent deal in the summer.
Prior to that, Parrott caught the eye during his spell on loan at Excelsior last season, scoring two hat tricks in eight days towards the back end of the season before the club were relegated to the Eerste Divisie.
And his improved club form has continued with AZ, with his four goals against minnows Heerenveen getting him up and running in scintillating fashion in his fifth start for the side last month.
Reflecting on his footballing journey to date – which included five loan spells during his time with Spurs – Parrott conceded the pressures of being thrust into the spotlight after bursting onto the scene in the Premier League had caught up to him.
He said: ‘I think [there was] quite a lot of pressure put on.
‘I was younger, I’ll tell the truth, it [pressure] used to get to me a bit but now I am older, I have played more games.
‘I have been in England and the Netherlands and am experiencing new things, so being away, it’s not necessarily being out of the spotlight, it’s just a new experience for me I’m really enjoying.
‘For me to be enjoying my football is the most important thing. It is one of the reasons why I have managed to do well up to now.
‘[Just] trying to live up to the hype at such a young age. It was never going to happen that early because football isn’t so easy. For me it was more about growing up a bit and trying to block out the noise.
‘It was a lot from the media. not a lot from people around me. I knew that I had talent – how good I was I didn’t know. I didn’t get many games to try to show that, but it was a lot to do with media.’
Additional reporting: Philip Quinn