When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn 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 disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
