When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
