When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
