Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession 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 – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.
“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
