Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
