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 at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction 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 call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half 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 train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
