Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side 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 runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. 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 senior debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility 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 rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“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 keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
