When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity 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 opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team 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 way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
