Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – 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 the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
