Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated 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 – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in 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 the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
