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When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

This statement turned out 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 call-up to the senior England squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for England too,” the player stated previously.

“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Learning in the lower tiers

His path in football has not been a conventional one.

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.

“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

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

Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.

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

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

But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”