The evidence keeps stacking up.
After a couple of concerning loan spells, Troy Parrott is ready to hit the big-time.
So much so that Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is reportedly thinking of doing a U-turn on plans for the Dubliner this coming season.
Up to this week, Parrott looked set for another temporary switch, this time to one of three Championship sides; Sunderland, Preston and QPR.
It might still be the case that one more loan move is needed to prepare the 20-year-old for life at the ambitious Premier League outfit.
But that Parrott is giving his experienced and highly-decorated boss something to think about during Tottenham’s pre-season tour to Korea is encouraging for both the player and his country.
Yesterday, he had notorious taskmaster Conte purring with a sensational display of endurance.
The Italian is a stickler for excruciatingly high fitness levels, so when Parrott emerged as the best of the finishers in a gruelling run, he endeared himself even further to his boss.
The punishing race, which took place at the end of a two-hour training session in Seoul’s World Cup Stadium, saw the players tasked with running 42 lengths of the pitch.
Some, including Korea star Son Heung-min, just couldn’t hack it in the high humidity of an east Asian summer’s evening.
He collapsed at one stage, before being lifted again to his feet by Harry Kane, who himself had already hit the turf in need of a breather.
All the while, Parrott led the rest of his teammates and looked comfortable as he clocked up length after length of the 117m long pitch.
As he completed the fast 4.9km run, others were still on their knees, needing a cold towel around their neck before moving again.
For some, the exhaustion reportedly brought back up their pre-training meal onto a pitch that once hosted the 2002 World Cup semi-final between South Korea and Germany.
However Parrott revealed hours before the session, which took place in front of over 6,000 fans, that he was revelling in his manager’s tough regime.
“I'm quite a good runner naturally, but yeah it's been tough. It's been hard work but it's all preparation,” he said.
Preparation for what? Another loan spell? Or a crack at first-team football with Spurs?
News of his running performance yesterday came after Parrott was pictured last month working out by himself at the renowned Mykonos Performance training camp.
He headed off to the Greek island shortly after his brilliant Nations League displays in June.
And after yesterday’s Korean exploits, Spurs fans took to social media to urge Conte to hold onto the 20-year-old and give him his first-team breakthrough this coming season.
It’s potentially bad news for his Championship suitors, who are all hoping to land Parrott after his previous spells with Millwall, Ipswich and MK Dons.
And although the decision could yet be made to send him out on-loan, the fact that it is no longer a formality shows just how much he has developed over the past year.
His spell at MK Dons last season quickly erased any memories of his frustrating previous moves, while he already had four senior Ireland goals to his name.
What Parrott does over the remainder of Tottenham’s time in the Far East will dictate where he spends next season.
But one thing is clear - he is now sprinting towards realising the remarkable potential that took him from Belvedere to Spurs five years ago.
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