Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors 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 figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
