Kenny Cunningham feels Millwall will be the perfect club for Troy Parrott to progress his talent, after the Dublin teenager completed his loan move from Spurs.
The 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international has moved across London to the Championship club, after just two Premier League appearances with Tottenham in the season just gone.
Cunningham lined out with Millwall during his own playing career from 1989 to 1994, and he told OTB Football Saturday he feels it is a good fit for Parrott.
"Couldn't have found a better club for him in terms of helping his development. [It's] a different type of club maybe to when I first went over.
"They'll be delighted getting Troy on loan for the season, I'm sure of that. He's got some great attributes and I think it's probably the best move for him.
"I was very surprised at a few of José Mourinho's comments about him when he first came through the door, pretty much suggesting there wouldn't be many opportunities for him and he wasn't ready on a load of different levels.
"If I was in Troy's shoes I wouldn't want to be hearing those comments from your new manager. It's probably the best thing for him to get out and get some football under his belt.
"It's important to get the right environment, the right football club to go and to learn and to develop. Sometimes if you pick the wrong club, the wrong type of environment, it can actually knock you back.
"Hopefully it's the right choice for Troy. He can knuckle down, get his head down, and get some games under his belt. Probably similar to Jayson Molumby last year when he went there on loan from Brighton. He's had a great season, [I've] seen a bit of him and spoke to some Millwall supporters who have been very impressed with him.
"I think he's improved, he's sharpened up his game, playing competitive first-team football. At some stage you need to throw yourself into it, and Jayson's done that with some success.
"Hopefully the same will be true for Troy next year. He'll enjoy it there Troy, it'll build his character, don't get me wrong."
Cunningham says Millwall fans aren't afraid to let you know when you aren't playing to expected standards.
"If he's not maybe playing to the level that he should, I'm sure the Millwall supporters will let him know, but that's all part of the learning experience as a young professional - you've got to battle-harden yourself in a man's game.
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— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC) August 1, 2020
"I think he'll do well, Gary Rowett has a good reputation as a good coach, developing young players. And they've had a good run Millwall... traditionally it's been a good learning curve and breeding ground for young players looking to develop their game.
"Hopefully the environment will suit Troy and he'll get that all-important game-time under his belt, which would be good for him and, indirectly, good for Ireland going forward."
Parrott said earlier after signing that he was keen to get going with Millwall.
"I'm really grateful to Spurs for letting me go out on loan and get some regular football. Hopefully, I can improve a lot whilst at Millwall.
"I'm buzzing to get straight into things, I'm really looking forward to it.
"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 in very well. I'm really excited to get going, work hard and give everything for the fans."
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