Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as 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 get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
