🔗 Share this article

When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my loved ones.”

But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Learning in non-league

Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.

He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.

Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.

“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.

“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty 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 making his senior debut against the Hatters.

He made eighty-three league outings for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position 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 earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.

Securing his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

His following season 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 Scott.

“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament 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 under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”