When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
That statement turned out to be a bit of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, never mind playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.
“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.
“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, 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 beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.
“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the team.
His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit for the tournament.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
