When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing 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 youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age 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 down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent 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 it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
