When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland 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 opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field 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.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost 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 almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
