Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
