Exciting Parrott is showing signs of his potential at Dons

Liam Manning wants to see Troy Parrott turn potential into performance during his loan spell at MK Dons.

The 19-year-old Tottenham striker was in brilliant form at Stadium MK against Sunderland, netting a fine goal to get Dons back into the game on 57 minutes after falling 2-0 down, but then having three excellent chances to draw them level. The pick of the bunch was an audacious chip from the edge of the penalty area which needed Black Cats keeper Lee Burge to acrobatically tip it over the top.

Tipped for big things with Spurs, Manning wants to see Parrott translate those ambitious claims about what he could do into what he is doing so Dons can reap the rewards before he returns to the Premier League side.

“Troy is a really exciting talent,” said the head coach. “It's down to him to flip potential into performance. We saw that in the second half. The attempted chip - how many people see it, would try it and have the quality to execute it? And the goal was an excellent finish.

“He's got some really interesting attributes, and it's about delivering it consistency.”

With only five players in the Dons squad over the age of 25, Manning said he is excited to develop the young players in his side and get the best out of them.

He said: “They're only going to get better. They've not hit their peak years yet.

“We'll coach them, help them, develop them, challenge them and make them feel uncomfortable at times too. They'll get better, that's exciting for me. If you improve the players, the team will get better.”