Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.
“Building some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
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 second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
Within 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 outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
