Roy Keane hailed Bristol City starlet Alex Scott despite the Robins’ Manchester City reverse, with the youngster delivering an exhilarating showing.
The Championship side saw their FA Cup journey end at the hands of the reigning Premier League champions after falling to a 3-0 defeat. Phil Foden had given Pep Guardiola’s side the lead before doubling his tally in the second period.
Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne rounded off the scoring late on with a brilliant effort from range. Despite Bristol City seeing their run come to an end, a bright spot was 19-year-old midfielder Scott.
He was named in the starting XI for the Robins and was arguably their most creative player throughout the 90 minutes. It was just the latest in a long line of eye-catching showings from the academy graduate.
He has made 38 appearances in all competitions for Bristol City this term, scoring one goal and providing five assists for Nigel Pearson’s side. Former Manchester United midfielder Keane had been anticipating big things from the youngster ahead of the game.
Speaking on ITV, the Irishman said: “This is a great opportunity for him, he is almost in the shop window tonight. I have seen him play a lot of times and he is a top footballer and let’s see how he gets on tonight.”
Keane continued his complimentary assessment of Scott’s abilities at the half-time interval and even compared him to Man City star Jack Grealish. He continued: "We highlighted him before the game, and you can see that he has a Jack Grealish about his play. He has been brilliant to watch."
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Keane’s punditry partner Ian Wright also waxed lyrical about the youngster by hinting that there is belief that he could potentially be set to force himself into the thoughts of England boss Gareth Southgate.
The former Arsenal striker said: “I am looking forward to watching Alex Scott - I watched him against Preston and for a game that wasn’t going anywhere, he looked amazing and I am looking forward to seeing how good he does against these calibre of players and because they have high hopes for him not only here at Bristol, but also in the England set-up.”
Scott will hope to extend his brilliant form for his side this weekend despite their FA Cup disappointment. They travel to Wales to take on Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.
Whilst the Robins appear highly unlikely to earn promotion to the Premier League before the end of the season, Scott could potentially be set to play in the top-flight. Wolves, Newcastle, Leicester and Tottenham have all been linked with a move for him in the summer.
