When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected 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 matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring 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.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
