Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott 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.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Learning in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I really required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
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 claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
