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Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” Scott stated previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Learning in the lower tiers

His football journey has been far from a conventional one.

He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.

“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen 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

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total shock.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.

Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly four months.

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

“That felt like yet another setback and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has started this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game 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 stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”