Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
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 ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every 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 his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility 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 moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
