When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey 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 boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role 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 nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
