Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind 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 weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
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 end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
