Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott 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 stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having 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 commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“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 scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has begun this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
