Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott 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 Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
