When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told 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 featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”
At the age of 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 Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to carry 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 national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
