Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football 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 each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
