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When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior England squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player said in a recent interview.

“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”

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

Learning in non-league

His path in football has not been a conventional one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.

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

“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.

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

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience 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 the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.

He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

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

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.

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

Securing his major transfer

Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.

“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start 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 started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with the national coach.

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

“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”