Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.
“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.
Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost 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 the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“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 earn an opportunity.”
