When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from 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 home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle 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 standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”