When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland 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 remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was something I definitely required.
“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
