When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – 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 competition in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
