When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity 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 turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign 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 starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was 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 yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
