When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries 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 mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as 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’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – 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 Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
