When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement 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 commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
