When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax 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 needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point 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 against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI 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, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
