When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators 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.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
