When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
