When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior Three Lions squad.
His ascent 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?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was something I really needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, returned home and on the Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.
Scott made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion 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 voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England 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 the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost 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 Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”