When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as 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 trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. 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 nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
