When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get 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 outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year 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 went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively 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 career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
