Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
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 Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle 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 succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started 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 national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
