Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the full Three Lions team.
His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Rather, he opted to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was a thing I really needed.
“To gain some self-belief by coming back and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.
Thanks to his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.
“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness 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 understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has started this season just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
