Nigel Pearson says Alex Scott's temperament and maturity to continue performing at such a high standard despite outside transfer noise is one of the reasons why he is destined for the very top.
The 19-year-old midfielder has consistently performed at high levels throughout the season but his individual showings in City's last two victories over West Brom and Preston have only emphasised the remarkable talent the club have on their hands. Given the rapid rate of his progression, Scott has not been short of transfer interest over the last 12 to 18 months.
Wolves threatened to test City's resolve in January but fell short of the club's £25million valuation with the club having security over Scott's contract which expires in 2025. However, there are plenty of top-flight clubs scouting and monitoring his progress as he continues going from strength to strength.
Teammate Kal Naismith, who threatens to be sidelined for an extended period with a calf injury, can see Scott playing for a top "four or five" Premier League club while also comparing his style of play to Steven Gerrard. He's also earned the nickname The 'Guernsey Grealish' with his unique ability to glide past opponents in tight positions.
When asked if he reminded Pearson of any particular player, he responded: "No, not really but he's just a very unique talent and he's got a very impressive temperament. I think he's destined for the very top but football dictates to you what is going to happen because you can't always be in control of your own destiny.
"Alex Scott will continue to progress and be a top player. He also knows he has the humility that he has to do it for us while he is here and he just enjoys playing football. That's good to have young, hungry players at the club as well as senior players who want to continue to perform and get better."
Praising his maturity for his ability to ignore the constant praise and speculation, he added: "And on top of that all the modern pitfalls for young players which is social media.
"He's a young man who is driven and wants to be a success. All young men will make mistakes at some point but what we have to do is give him the framework to go out there and be as good as he can be while he is with us.
"You have to remember, he has a contract here for a couple of more years yet for there to be any further speculation about his future. There has to be something real that is happening. So he's our player at the moment."
Pearson then spoke about his previous experience of working alongside top talents who have been destined for the top only to be hampered by the pressures and expectations that come with that.
"I don't need to go into naming people's names on that but of course," he said. "Some real top players have doubts about themselves. I think you've heard me talk before about senior players having baggage that the youngsters don't have.
"We talk about young players not having fear and you can also talk about senior players having experienced difficult things in the past which is a bit of baggage they have to deal with. We're all different and I've worked with players who have had doubts about themselves and have come through it."
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