Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted 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 back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding 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 begun the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
