Sports

Pellegrini Hails Parrott's Impact as Ireland Face Injury Worries Ahead of Nations League

By Paul O'Hehir

Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has praised young forward Troy Parrott after the Irish international came off the bench to score a late winner against Real Madrid on Friday night. Betis will now turn their attention to the Champions League, opening their campaign away to Lille on Tuesday at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, the venue where Robbie Brady scored his famous winning goal against Italy at Euro 2016 - a moment Parrott has said inspired him as a young fan watching from Dublin. Brady is now one of Parrott's closest friends within the Ireland squad.

Pellegrini commented on Parrott's rapid rise, saying: "I'm very happy for Parrott. He made a mistake against Levante, but on Friday he had the instinct to score that goal. It's going to give him a lot of confidence. It was a goal of great effort and power."

While Parrott's form continues to climb, Evan Ferguson is still working his way back after a difficult loan spell at Roma last season that was hampered by injuries, including ankle surgery in March. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler gave a cautiously optimistic update, saying Ferguson is "getting closer" but could not provide a firm timeline for his return. Hurzeler added: "Everyone knows what Evan is capable of doing. He proved it a few years ago here at Brighton. I think he was one of the best strikers in the Premier League, so hopefully he can get back on track." Ferguson's recovery means he will miss Ireland's upcoming Nations League fixtures against Kosovo, Israel and Austria, and he was also left out of Brighton's Europa Conference League squad, though he could be added later if the club advance to the knockout stages.

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson is also monitoring the fitness of captain Nathan Collins ahead of naming his squad on September 17th for a busy four-match international window. Collins was substituted after just 16 minutes of Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Saturday due to a calf issue. Brentford boss Keith Andrews said: "It's a calf strain. I don't know the extent. Obviously, it's unfortunate that the skipper had to come off."

Adding to the list of fitness concerns, West Brom winger Mikey Johnston, who fractured his ankle in February and only recently returned to competitive action in a League Cup win over Rotherham, is set to see a specialist after experiencing a setback. West Brom manager James Morrison said: "Everyone wants answers, but it's just taking a little bit of time. He's with the consultant, trying to get to the bottom of it. He had a little bit of a flare up and we'll continue to be patient."

Elsewhere, Liam Scales scored in Celtic's 2-1 win at St Mirren, helping the club maintain a perfect record after five league games and extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to five points. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu remained an unused substitute as Bolton Wanderers suffered a 4-0 defeat to Millwall, a result that may increase pressure for Bazunu, who joined the club just over a week ago from Southampton, to be given a starting opportunity soon.