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When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That statement proved to be something of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

What’s next? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”

So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

His path in football has been far from a typical 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 travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer 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 opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I really required.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their 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 team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

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

“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

Within 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

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

“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – 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 tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”