When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
