Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things 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 second-half substitute in their Isthmian 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 side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point 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 making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward 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.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”