Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach 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.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
