When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability 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 Manchester City and England playmaker 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 team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him 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 almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
