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 at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth again was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“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.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the 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 contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
