The signing earlier this month of Kane Wilson should enhance Bristol City in a number of ways but an underrated - albeit slightly obvious - positive by-product of the arrival of the 22-year-old is that Alex Scott probably won’t be seen at right wing-back again.
The 18-year-old was plugged into the position almost by default but such is his maturity and high-level football IQ, more often than not he “did the job”, enabling the system Nigel Pearson eventually deferred to, to function effectively.
With Wilson in situ, however, assuming he does make the expected transition from League Two to the Championship, and George Tanner fit again and offering a more orthodox defensive option, Scott will be seen as third-choice, at best, for that particular position.
As the 30 minutes he played for England Under-19s on Sunday night, Scott’s future - both in the short and long term - lies in areas of the field that can draw out his best attributes, as central as possible and higher up the pitch where he can consistently impact possession without immediately having to consider sprinting back 40 yards to cover the right-hand channel outside his centre-backs.
Scott didn’t make the starting XI against Austria for England’s opener in the European Championship, with head coach Ian Foster preferring Aston Villa’s Aaron Ramsey and Alfie Devine of Tottenham Hotspur in the attacking midfield roles behind Dane Scarlett.
After Carney Chukwuemeka had fired England into a 1-0 lead, Scott was introduced on the hour mark in place of the excellent Ramsey to try and further impose the Young Lions dominance on the ball.
Initially positioned just to the right of Scarlett, at times, when the Spurs forward dropped towards the halfway line to either be the first option from a long ball or compete for a header, Scott was the further man forward. A considerable departure from where he spent most of last season for City.
Scott early involvements had to be earned, with the teenager scampering inside the half-space and pressing Austrian defenders relentlessly, moving from centre-back to left-back, and back again.
If anything, those consistent sprints emphasise another aspect of Scott’s game that is lost when he’s fielded at right wing-back - his ability to press. When on the right flank, he has to remain positionally strict, tracking his winger and out of possession cannot be drawn to the ball, for fear of leaving the space behind him open for a quick ball over the top.
When deployed in an advanced midfield role, Scott’s acceleration and discipline - perhaps honed from his defensive initiation for the Robins - means he can influence the game out of possession, as well as on the ball, hurrying defenders and slowing or stopping any passing rhythm.
Devine’s excellent second goal gave England the cushion they desired, Scott celebrating passionately as he joined the Spurs midfielder and teammates with a fist-pump and loud scream to the stands. It seems trivial but also pertinent that in a collective composed mainly of Premier League-level talent, he’s clearly very much part of the group and at home among peers.
Liam Delap’s introduction in place of Scarlett, saw Scott briefly switch back to the inside left berth and then as further changes were made, with Samuel Iling-Junior and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens brought on for the final 10 minutes, Scott retreated deeper into a more standard central midfield role.
Always presenting himself as a passing option, Scott kept the touches he had - as Austria went very obviously direct - simple and tidy, interchanging passes with the defence while there was one inside pass that cut through the opposition midfield into the feet of Delap that possessed real zip.
He also assumed set-piece duties, emphasising his role within the squad, sending in two late free-kicks, one of which looked to try and catch Austrian goalkeeper Elias Scherf unawares.
There was a slide tackle in broken play to win possession back for his team and he picked out 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund starlet Bynoe-Gittens with a fine first-time diagonal beyond the defence.
If anything, the game finished too soon for Scott who after his work out of possession when in an attacking midfield role, looked increasingly comfortable and influential when moved that little bit deeper and into the thrust of the action to get on the ball.
His final act was a left-footed drive from 18 yards that was deflected wide, as soon after the final whistle sounded and although other individuals in white had made more obvious individual contributions, Scott's 30 minutes, particularly when placed in central midfield, showcased elements of his understated excellence.
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