Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player said previously.
“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.
He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every 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 he turned 13, though, 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 was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became 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 team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability 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 reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, stated previously.
Within three months after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
