When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
