Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out 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 relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted 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, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
