When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, 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 heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the 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.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
