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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated in a recent interview.

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

But how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

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

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.

“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

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

Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.

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

Getting his big move

Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.

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

“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

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

“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”