When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them 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 local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records 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 figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion 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 named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”
