Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things 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 replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. 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 down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
