Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Developing in non-league
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their 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 the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, 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 playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated last year.
Within 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing 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 career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
