Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey 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 the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible 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 tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
