When Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented back then.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England 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 division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“It was yet another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
