Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team 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 a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League 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 surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
