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When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That statement proved to be something of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”

So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.

“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s 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 under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, 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 deal.”

Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.

Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.

Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.

“There was a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”