When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” the player said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker 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 figuring out how I could get him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference 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 award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make 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 affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
