When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity 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 stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
