When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. 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 heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty 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 earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – 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 tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
