When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again 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 perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad 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 regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming 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 begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
