When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
