When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker 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 true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island 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. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team 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 voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit 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, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
