When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing 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 things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a typical one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable 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 impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
