When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, 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 heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. 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 making his senior debut versus Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
