When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted 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 Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
