When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
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 potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with 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 played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
