When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer 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 Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance 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 – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
