Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include 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 exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored 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, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
