Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly 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 each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack 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 team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing 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 said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
