When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six 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 here?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth 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.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their 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 his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek 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 done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, 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 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like 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 Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
