Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.
“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
