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When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior England squad.

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

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.

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

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

Learning in the lower tiers

His path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.

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

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I really required.

“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

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

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against Luton.

Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

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

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

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Within 90 days later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

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

“There was quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up 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 tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.

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

“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”