In his own mind Troy Parrott feels ready to fly.
But he also accepts that he will be caged a little longer at senior level.
Tottenham’s teenage tyro, 17, is a man in demand and could take his pick of Irish international teams to play for.
He was still eligible for the Under-17 Euro finals in May as well as the Under-19 equivalent in Armenia in July but didn’t play in either because of club wishes.
On Friday night, he made his Under-21 debut and scored the winner in the Tallaght Stadium clash against Armenia.
And then there is the growing clamour for Mick McCarthy to blood the Dubliner at senior level sooner rather than later.
At one stage that was on the cards for Tuesday’s friendly against Bulgaria as Parrott was in the initial 40-man provisional squad to face them and Switzerland.
But after dropping into Under-21 ranks for the first time, Parrott was instead on a flight to Amsterdam and then Stockholm early this morning.
He will look to build on his solid start with Stephen Kenny’s team when they face Sweden in another qualifier, rather than stepping out for a senior bow at Aviva Stadium the same night.
Parrott chuckles when it is pointed out that everyone wants a piece of him.
“That's good actually, that I can play at any level. If I got called up to any level I'd be ready to play,” he declared.
Living in London, he is shielded from so much of the hype surrounding his blossoming career. He takes it all in his stride.
“It's good to hear people say good stuff (about me), but in football there are ups and downs,” he continued.
“I try not to get too much into the ups and hopefully there are not too many downs.”
The summer was a whirlwind for the most hyped Irish player in a generation having featured in Tottenham’s pre-season plans.
He came off the bench against Juventus and then started against Manchester United in China although he has yet to make a Premier League breakthrough.
“It was unbelievable, a great experience,” he said. “To play against big teams and big players was a great experience and I learned a lot.
“Hopefully I can keep improving. I'm just keeping my head down and trying to train to the best I can and hopefully if I do get the opportunity I'll be ready.”
Mauricio Pochettino has included Parrott in their Champions League squad and a first competitive start is likely in a League Cup clash with Colchester later this month.
Not that he is letting the adulation go to his head, insisting that big personalities like Harry Kane help keep him grounded.
“It's another great achievement (making the Champions League squad) but I haven't really done anything in the professional game yet,” he said.
“Obviously it's good for the confidence that the gaffer puts me in there but I'm just going to keep pushing on and try to improve.
“That's a massive thing at our club, keeping level headed and not getting too big - it’s a great club.
“There are players who give you a lot of advice and the manager is always giving advice. It's a great club for me to keep learning.”
With Ireland, Parrott is happy to walk before he can fly and he enjoyed the sense of freedom afforded to him by Kenny this week.
Usually a No 9 for Tottenham’s Under-23s, he played as a 10 in the hole and relished the spin.
“That's all that Stephen Kenny and Keith Andrews talk about - enjoying yourself, expressing yourself and taking the shackles off and playing,” he said.
“You can see the attacking options in the team are unbelievable. The talent is just flowing through the whole team.
“I'm quite versatile, whether I play off the left, in the 10 or off the right or up front, I don't mind once I can help the team
“It was good to score on my debut although I’m a little disappointed as I could have had two or three.”
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