When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
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 Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
