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When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.

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

So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Learning in non-league

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

He was part of over four 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.

Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

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

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.

“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.

“Building some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played 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.”

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

Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.

Less than three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his major transfer

Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“That felt like yet another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – 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 strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.

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

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”