When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian 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 his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to 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 reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’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 pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
