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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That statement proved to be something 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 senior England squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.

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

So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Learning in non-league

His path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of 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 his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I really required.

“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“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 the coach commented back then.

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

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.

Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”