When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly 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.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
