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.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner 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 their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often 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 their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like 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 Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
