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When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

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

Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full England squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”

But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Developing in the lower tiers

His football journey has not been a conventional one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth back was a thing I really required.

“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

In just 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut versus Luton.

He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

Less than 90 days after, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year 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 went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”