Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it 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 regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
