Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
