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When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.

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

So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Developing in the lower tiers

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

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

“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.

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

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated previously.

Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.

“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.

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

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing 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 stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”