Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
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 Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – 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 hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up 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 Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
