Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had 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 almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
