Back 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 back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story 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 top division and playing for England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
