Republic of Ireland hero once turned down a loan move to Celtic

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Troy Parrott is the talk of Ireland after his superb performance.

The Republic of Ireland striker bagged a first-half brace to secure a famous 2-0 win against Portugal and keep their 2026 World Cup hopes alive.

Liam Scales was one of those who impressed at the Aviva Stadium on a night that saw Cristiano Ronaldo sent off.

Parrott will rightfully grab the headlines for his stellar display in front of goal and has continued to shine in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar.

Before establishing himself as a proven number nine, the forward had the chance to join Celtic but opted to turn it down.

Why did Troy Parrott turn down Celtic move

Celtic made an approach for the striker, who was on Tottenham Hotspur’s books at the time, in 2020.

He was a prolific 19-year-old wanted by many and the Hoops felt he could bolster their attacking options.

However, their plans were scuppered when the striker rejected the proposal and instead chose to move to Championship side Millwall.

After signing for the south London side, he told their club website: “I’ve heard a lot of good things. When I’ve watched games, the littlest of things gets them going, and I want to be a part of something like that.

“It’s not hard to see from the outside that all [the fans] are looking for is someone to give 100% every game.

“When I was growing up playing football, that was the player I always was, so I feel as though I can fit it very well. I’m really excited to get going, work hard and give everything for the fans.”

Troy Parrott could be an ideal Daizen Maeda replacement

Daizen Maeda is expected to leave Celtic in the coming months which will open up a spot for a new striker to come in.

Johnny Kenny and Callum Osmand have impressed, but with the latter injured alongside Kelechi Iheanacho, finding a proven goal scorer should be the priority.

The money received from any potential Maeda sale would allow the Hoops to spend big, and Parrott could be a huge coup.

Now a fully-fledged senior pro, he has proven that he is capable of scoring at the highest level and could be the option that Celtic need to adequatetly replace last season’s top scorer.