Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as 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 started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
