When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ 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 train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“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 pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
