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Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player said previously.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”

So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was a thing I really needed.

“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important 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 came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

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

Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his big move

The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was almost another obstacle and it 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 get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”