When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott 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 remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently 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 playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
