Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having 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 commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack 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 earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
