When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott 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 opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling 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 had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe 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 the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make 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 equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
