Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
