When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
