Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on 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 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 manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him 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 he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just 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 one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
