When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’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,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally 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 good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide 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 stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”