When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
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 first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted 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 earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’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 believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another obstacle 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 U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
