When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having 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 stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
