Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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 opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history 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 include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus Luton.
Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging 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 in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
