When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led 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 was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’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 think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
