Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder 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 throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
