Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“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 affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’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.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
