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

This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior England team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England too,” the player said previously.

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

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

Developing in the lower tiers

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

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was a thing I really required.

“Building some self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.

Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

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

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

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.

Within 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

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

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

“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first half.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”