When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every 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 him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age 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 down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
