When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with 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 London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth 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 rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
