Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
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 fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year 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 sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign 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 broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”