When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“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 too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian 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,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed 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
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
