Former Belvedere schoolboy Troy Parrott signs first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur

Ireland under-17 European Championships star Troy Parrott has capped off a big year by signing his first professional deal with Tottenham Hotspur.

The former Belvedere schoolboy scored three times as Ireland reached the quarter finals of this summer's Euros in England before being knocked out on penalties by the Netherlands.

Parrott had scored Ireland's equaliser – the only goal the Dutch conceded in the tournament – to force penalties after netting in wins over Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Parrott has played with the London club's development squads over the past two years but wasn't legally able to make the move until turning 16 this year.

The 16-year-old, from Buckingham Street in Dublin's north inner city, had been on the radar of a number of elite English clubs from an early age but Spurs won the race to his signature.

The youngster, who models his game on fellow inner city native Wes Hoolahan and Spurs striker Harry Kane, has joined up with the Spurs academy on a full-time basis.