Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott 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 match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected 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 think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
