Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? 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,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’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 will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
