When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior England squad.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.
He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.
Instead, 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.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager the coach stated at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled Scott. “The first day I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often 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.
With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated last year.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His following season was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost 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 yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”
