Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – 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 up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
