Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. 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.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’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 believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing 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 player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
