Hallgrimsson backs Parrott potency amid Betis dry spell

Résumé détaillé

Heimir Hallgrimsson has backed Troy Parrott to deliver on the goals front for the Republic of Ireland despite running into a recent dry spell for Real Betis.

Heimir Hallgrimsson has backed Troy Parrott to deliver on the goals front for the Republic of Ireland despite running into a recent dry spell for Real Betis.

Parrott is with the Boys in Green in Linz as they prepare to take on Austria in their penultimate UEFA Nations League group game on Saturday.

But the 24-year-old comes into the window having not scored in eight games for Betis across all competitions.

Parrott did score notable winning goals against Real Madrid and Lille in La Liga and the Champions League respectively.

More recently, his club manager Manuel Pellegrini cited the player's workload for Ireland as a factor in why he was rotating him in and out of his starting line-up at times - comments which Hallgrimsson gave short shrift to last week.

But on the eve of the Austria game, Parrott is one of the first names on the teamsheet for Ireland and his international manager is confident that growing pains at club level will not transfer into the national team arena.

"You never know with Troy. He pops up and score goals when he wears the green shirt," Hallgrimsson said at Friday's press conference at the Raiffeisen Arena.

"Hopefully he'll do that tomorrow. I think it was a good step for him to go to Spain in his career from Holland. He's finding his feet and you can see it in his performance there.

"He's growing and understanding better his team-mates. But he has always produced for Ireland.

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