Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, 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 traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played 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.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry 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 Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
