Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, 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 England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
