When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors 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 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point 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 making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth 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 moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost 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 started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
