🔗 Share this article

When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against 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.”

That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.

“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”

But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.

“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture 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 at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.

“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

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 claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”