Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really required.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability 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 national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
