Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey 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 playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. 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 mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder 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 team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback 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 went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
