When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture 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 retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, 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, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
