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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

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

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.

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

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott said previously.

“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

But in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in the lower tiers

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

He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.

“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

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

In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.

Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.

Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

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

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.

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

“That felt like yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”