When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated 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 loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
