When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey 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 youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen 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 top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, 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 while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth 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 rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
