Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first summons to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in the lower tiers
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.
“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really needed.
“Building some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used 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 drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was chosen 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 his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
