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 boy.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’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 his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
