Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, 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 explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
