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Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”

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

Developing in the lower tiers

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

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly 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 gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely required.

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

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work 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 carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

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

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

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

Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

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

“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.

“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.

“It was yet another obstacle 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 Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.

And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”