When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart 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 every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker 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 he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
