When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was something I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – 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 down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season 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 the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up 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 Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
